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Russian Billionaire To Bring His Faberge Eggs To The Vatican

Filed under: Events, Art

Through his Link of Times Foundation, Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg has made it his personal mission to repatriate cultural and historical objects taken out from Russia in the 20th century. Toward that mission, Vekselberg has amassed a large collection of Faberge eggs made by Pyotr Karlovich Faberge and brought them back to Russia. Now he's sending them back out into the world. RIA Novosti reports that Vekselberg has worked with the Vatican to bring the Faberge eggs to the Holy See Museum for a new exhibition.

Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, Faberge's jewelry company in St. Petersburg manufactured some of the world's most beautiful jewels and objects for the Russia's imperial family. The most famous of his works are the intricate Easter eggs which have become some of the world's most collectible bejeweled items.

Vekselberg worked for over a year to arrange the exhibit which begins on April 14. There will be a total of 180 exhibit pieces which show the history of Russia and tsar's family. The House of Faberge created a total of 54 Imperial eggs for Alexander III and Nicholas II as gifts for their wives and family and 42 of these eggs remain today. Vekselberg purchased Faberge works from the Forbes family in 2004. Malcolm Forbes was a famous collector of Faberge eggs. That collection included nine Imperial Easter eggs and another 190 items, including brooches, inkwells and smoking accessories. Vekselberg said he paid over $90 million for the collection.

Tags: faberge eggs, holy see museum, vatican, viktor vekselberg

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The Vatican's Secret Archives Open For New Book

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

The Vatican's secret archives have been the subject of lore for centuries and have spawned plenty of movies and novels. Now some of the Vatican's documents have been revealed in a new book, The Vatican Secret Archives. The 252-page book is full of color photos and represents a chronological journey through the meandering history of the past centuries starting with the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum, an old book containing formulas in use by the Papal Chancellery dating back to the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century. Other documents include a letter from Mary Queen of Scots to Pope Sixtus V, a letter from Pius X to Hitler, and works from saints include St. Teresa of Avila.

The regular book is available from Amazon.com and other sources for around $100. But for the truly dedicated collector there is a limited edition of 33 which is handbound in the studio of the Vatican Secret Archives. The books will be printed on felt and handstitched with leather ties. Collectors editions will be numbered, stamped and certified. Each book will be made by request and can be ordered in Italian, English, French or Dutch and can be personalized. It sells for € 4,950. A press release from VdH Books states that there is also the possibility of paying a unique visit to the Vatican Secret Archives for the 33 buyers.

[via The Toronto Star]

Tags: archives, books, limited edition, limited edition book, LimitedEdition, LimitedEditionBook, special edition books, SpecialEditionBooks, vatican

Raphael, Rembrandt and More At Christie's Old Masters Sale

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

It's still possible to set a record in this art market; it just takes an amazing lot from a far-off period in time. On December 8, 2009, a drawing by Italian renaissance artist Raphael will go under the gavel. The piece is expected to pull in a world record $19.7 million. The 12-inch drawing (in black chalk) will be auctioned by Christie's at its Old Masters auction. It was a study used for a muse in Raphael's fresco of Parnassus, which is in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican. This is the highest quality piece by Raphael to come to auction since the 1980s.

Christie's is selling the Raphael drawing on behalf of an anonymous private collector, though it's been owned in the past by Sir Thomas Lawrence and King William II of Holland. It hasn't shown up at auction in more than 150 years. The history associated with this piece, as well as the piece itself, are what make it a threat to the record of 8.1 million pounds paid for the drawings "The Risen Christ" (Michelangelo) and Leonardo da Vinci's "Horse and Rider." They sold in July 2000 and July 2001, respectively.

The drawing was completed between 1508 and 1511 at the request of Pope Julius the II. The artist died in 1520 at the age of 37.

The sale will feature other major works including a masterpiece by Rembrandt, shown at right. Unseen in public for almost 40 years and offered at auction for the first time since 1930, Portrait of a man, half-length, with his arms akimbo, 1658, is offered from a distinguished private collection and is expected to bring in £18 million to £25 million. One of the most significant Old Masters to be offered in recent years. Saint John the Evangelist by Domenico Zampieri, called Il Domenichino (1581-1641), will be presented for sale for the first time in over 100 years. It is expected to sell for £7 million to £10 million.

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Tags: art, art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, auction, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, christies, leonardo da vinci, LeonardoDaVinci, michelangelo, raphael, vatican, vaticancity

Pope Benedict XVI Tours Earthquake Zone in Special Fiat Ducato Panorama Van

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Charity

The Pope can't just ride around in any old car. That's why he had to sell his Volkswagen before ascending from Cardinal to the Papacy. But the head of the Catholic church and head of state of Vatican City has a well-equipped motor pool at his disposal, including sport-utility vehicles donated to the Vatican by Volvo and BMW, a W12 Phaeton luxury sedan by Volkswagen, and of course the specially-made Popemobile from Mercedes-Benz. The latest, by comparisson, may seem the least prestigious, but desperate times call for desperate measures. So while touring the aftermath of the earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy, the Pope is riding around in a specially-equipped Fiat Ducato Panorama van.

The Ducato is one of the most prolific vehicles in Italy, with some 2 million on the road. But the Pope's, of course, is special, equipped with a white leather interior including a five-seater sofa, the latest electronics and deployable steps to allow the gowned pontiff easy ingress and egress.

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Tags: abruzzo, fiat, fiat ducato, fiat ducato panorama, FiatDucato, FiatDucatoPanorama, italy, joseph ratzinger, JosephRatzinger, pope, pope bendict xvi, pope benedict, pope fiat, PopeBendictXvi, PopeBenedict, PopeFiat, vatican

Fly Vatican?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

Everyone is flying charter these days. The latest charter news comes from the Vatican. The Vatican's travel office has partnered with a small Italian jet company, Mistral, to offer flights to holy sites around the world. The jets will have interiors decorated with sacred inscriptions and will travel to a wide-ranging variety of holy sites in the Holy Land, Spain, Mexico and other places. BBC News reports that the first flight will be on August 27 from Rome to Lourdes, France and that the vicar of Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, is expected to be on the first flight.

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Tags: charter flight, private plane, travel, vatican

Is It A Sin To Own A Ferrari?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Is it a sin to own a Ferrari? It certainly seems like the Pope thinks so, at least according to a 'rules of the road' document issued by the Vatican that warns against using cars "as a means for outshining other people and arousing a feeling of envy."

Ferrari doesn't seem too ruffled by this news, with the general manager addressing the issue with the response that most Ferrari owners buy the vehicles because they love to drive, not because they see it as a status symbol. And although I can't say I disagree with him (and I admit I do not and have not ever owned a Ferrari myself) I think it's fair to say that there's at least a little "status symbol" to be found in every Ferrari.

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Tags: ferrari, pope, sin, sinful, sins, the vatican, TheVatican, vatican