The original designed by Raphael for the Medici Pope, Leo X in 1517 for the Vatican Palace, consists of a large loggia (65m long) divided into 13 bays, the ceilings of which each have four frescoes showing Old Testament scenes in 12 bays and the 13th showing New Testament ones. The 52 frescoes are known as “Raphael’s Bible”.
Catherine The Great recreated the Loggia in the New Hermitage and it is one of the most spectacular halls in the museum.
From Wikipedia “Because of the relative unimportance of the space, and a desire to copy the recently re-discovered Domus Aurea style of Ancient Roman painting, no large paintings were used, and the surfaces were mostly covered with grotesque designs on a white background, with paintings imitating sculptures in niches, and small figurative subjects in a revival of Ancient Roman style. This large array provided a repertoire of elements that were the basis for later artists creating grotesque decoration across Europe.”
In the following photos of the 13 bays, the descriptions of the four scenes in each of the vaults are given in the sequence: bottom, left, top and right (BLTR).
R01 The Creation of the World
B – Creation of the Sun and Moon
L – Separation of the Land from the Waters
T – Separation of Light from Darkness
R – Creation of the Animals
1st Vault – The Creation of the World
R02 Adam & Eve
2nd Vault – Adam & Eve
B – Adam and Eve at Work
L – Adam and Eve Banished from Eden
T – The Original Sin
R – The Creation of Eve
R03 Noah & The Flood
3rd Vault – Noah and the flood
B – Noah and his sons building the Ark
L – The Sacrifice of Noah
T – Leaving the Ark on Mount Ararat
R – The Deluge
R04 Abraham
4th Vault – Abraham
B – Abraham and Melchizedek
L – Lot flees from Sodom
T – God appears to Abraham
R – Abraham and the Three Angels
R05 Isaac
5th Vault – Isaac
B – God appears to Isaac
L – Isaac and Esau
T – Abimelech spies on Isaac
R – Isaac Blesses Jacob
R06 Jacob
6th Vault – Jacob
B – Jacob’s Dream
L – Jacob returns to Canaan
T – Jacob reproves Laban
R – Jacob meets Rachel
R07 Joseph
7th Vault – Joseph
B – The Dreams of Joseph
L – The Dreams of the Pharaoh
T – The Treachery of Potiphar’s Wife
R – Joseph sold by his Brothers
R08 Moses
8th Vault – Moses
B – Moses Saved from the Water
L – The Water gushing from the Rock
T – Passing through the Red Sea
R – The Burning Bush
R09 Moses
9th Vault – Moses
B – Moses receives the Tablets of Law
L – Moses shows his People the Tablets of the Law
T – The Column of Cloud
R – Adoration of The Golden Calf
R10 Joshua
10th Vault – Joshua
B – Joshua stops the Sun
L – The Fall of Jericho
T – Crossing the River Jordan
R – Dividing The Promised Land
R11 David
11th Vault – David
B – Samuel Anoints David King
L – The Triumph of David
T – David and Bathsheba
R – David Slays Goliath
R12 Solomon
12th Vault – Solomon
B – Solomon Consecrated King by Zadok
L – The Queen of Sheba
T – Construction of The Temple
R – The Judgement of Solomon
R13 Jesus
13th Vault – Jesus
B – The Birth of Christ
L – The Last Supper
T – The Baptism of Christ
R – The Adoration of The Magi
I notice that in the 2nd Vault that the “Adam & Eve Banished from Eden” panel copies the poses from Masaccio’s Brancacci Chapel depiction. The reproductions in the Hermitage are in a far better state than the originals in the Vatican.
