Shadows of Roman non-catholic cemetery exhibition
ROME -- The Italian captial’s Casa di Goethe museum hosts an exhibition of a collection of over 40 works of art depicting the Non-Catholic Cemetery of Rome over the years on the 300th anniversary of the burial ground, entitled, “At the Foot of the Pyramid: 300 years of the cemetery for foreigners in Rome.”
The English poet Shelley described the Non-Catholic Cemetery of Rome in a few succinct words: “the most beautiful and solemn cemetery I have ever beheld”, and throughout the centuries visitors have continued to agree with him.
Screened and sheltered from the grit and rumble of the nearby Via Ostiense, this peaceful burial garden preserves a charm and uniqueness that has always attracted numerous artists bent on recapturing its magical atmosphere.
This year the Cemetery (frequently erroneously referred to as “the Protestant Cemetery” despite the fact that the burials have never been restricted to Protestants, but involve many other religions, and even the occasional Roman Catholic) celebrates its tercentenary. And what more appropriate way to honour the event than with an exhibition of paintings, sketches and prints depicting the burial ground over the centuries.
The exhibition: “At the Foot of the Pyramid: 300 years of the cemetery for foreigners in Rome” involves over 40 works from museums and private collections worldwide, some of which have never been shown in public before. The chosen venue is the Casa di Goethe museum, where the German poet Goethe stayed during his sojourn in Rome in 1786-88. Goethe greatly admired the cemetery and expressed his poetic wish to be buried there:
“May Mercury lead me hereafter,
Past the cestian monument, gently
Down to Hades”
Although Goethe himself eventually died in Weimar, the grave of his only son August is in the Rome cemetery.
The pyramid referred to in the poem is, of course, the Ancient Roman monument of Gaius Cestius at Porta San Paolo, which used to be incorporated in the defensive Aurelian walls. It features prominently in many of the works on exhibit, as a symbolic and evocative background to the tombs scattered around the part known as the “Parte Antica”. The first documented burial involved a Dr. Arthur from Edinburgh, who died in Rome in 1716. He was followed by various members of the Jacobite court in exile as well as British travellers on the Grand Tour.
According to the law of the time, they were buried outside the city walls, on what was common land, a concession granted by Pope Clement X1.
Among the most evocative works on show are the three depictions of night burials by torch-light. These had helped lead to the common belief that the funerals of Protestants were held under cover of darkness, as they were considered illegal.
“However,” said Nicholas Stanley-Price, the exhibition curator, “This was a myth. We can see here that there was nothing secret about these burials. There are plenty of people around, not just mourners, but also spectators. Roman Catholics too could be buried by night for reasons of hygiene and convenience.”
Later, around 1822, the cemetery, was expanded to create the “Zona Vecchia” (where Shelley’s ashes are buried), but, despite the fact that it contains many funeral monuments that are works of art, views of the rambling “Old Cemetery” tend to dominate the exhibition, with scatterings of gravestones in uncultivated meadows, meandering paths and rows of cypresses pointing skywards.
According to Stanley-Price, this could be because photography eliminated the need to create depicted mementoes of the burial place of far-off loved ones, commissioned by the bereaved families, and the Zona Vecchia, or New Cemetery, thus became more photographed than painted.
Since the 1920s, the cemetery has been managed by an association of fifteen foreign embassies in Rome, which have nationals buried there. The embassies of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA work collectively on an annual rotation system. This year, it is the turn of the Ambassador of Canada in Italy, Peter McGovern, who says he is honoured to serve as President of the Assembly in this important anniversary year.
Works by celebrated landscape artists like William Turner, Philipp Hackert, Ettore Roesler Franz, Salomon Corrodi, Jacques Sablet, William Bell Scott, Bartolemeo Pinelli and others gathered from many sources, dominate the exhibition. The big surprise, however, awaits visitors in the last room, where they are confronted with Edvard Munch’s interpretation of his uncle’s grave. His sweeping colour washes and the bold brush strokes characteristic of his work, are in total contrast with the preceding classical portrayals.
The beautifully presented catalogue contains an introductory essay by American art historians Mary K. McGuigan and John F. McGuigan Jr, who also contributed rare historic photographs of the cemetery from their collection.
The exhibition at the Casa di Goethe runs until Nov.13, 2016.
Events in the exhibition programme include a lecture by Nicholas Stanley-Price: Oct. 13 at 18.30, and readings with Mario Fortunato “Piramide”: Oct. 29 at 18.00
For information: Tel. +39.06.32650412 info@casadigoethe.it
The Non-Catholic cemetery is open Mon-Sat. from 9-16.30 and on Sundays from 9-1pm.
On Saturdays guided tours are available.
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