The Museo Fondazione Roma is currently presenting an exhibition on the cathedral treasure of Naples, on display for the first time ever outside its usual location in the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro, which itself has only been open to the public for ten years. The exhibition is curated by Paolo Jorio, the director of the Museum of the Treasure of Saint Januarius, and Ciro Paolillo, professor at the University La Sapienza in Rome, in cooperation with the Fondazione Roma.

The close relationship between Naples and the history of its patron saint Januarius (San Gennaro) is emphasized in the title of the exhibition, which dedicates the treasure of the cathedral to the city and to its faithful people. Accordingly, the introductory part of the exhibition concentrates on the worship of Saint Januarius in Naples and its origins. Among the effects of wars, plague and natural disasters, the unpredictable force of Mount Vesuvius is highlighted as the main antagonist of the Beneventan bishop and saint, Januarius. In this context, particular importance is attached to the belief in the apotropaic power of his relics, especially of his blood, which had been saved after the saint’s martyrdom in the year 305 and which is still kept in the cathedral of Naples today. Perhaps for that reason this room, which receives the visitor at the beginning of the exhibition, is painted in a blood-red colour. On display is a copy of the gilded silver reliquary bust (1305) which King Charles II of Anjou donated to the cathedral for the safekeeping of Saint Januarius’ skull, one of the earliest elements of the treasure and evidence of the flourishing culture in the capital of the Kingdom of Naples. The two ampoules containing his blood are usually placed in a separate reliquary also of the Angevine period. While the reliquary is featured in the exhibition in Rome, the ampoules stayed behind in their permanent location in Naples, their presence also required for the recent liquefaction ceremony that traditionally takes place on December 16 (on the anniversary of the city’s salvation from Mount Vesuvius in 1631), in which the original of the fourteenth-century silver bust also plays a part. These little bottles of the holy blood are presented to the visitor as the saint’s characteristic attributes in Francesco Solimena’s fictitious portrait of the Bishop Januarius (1702), showing one hand in the gesture of blessing, the other balancing the ampoules on a book. They reappear throughout many further exhibits. The trust of the Neapolitan people in the miraculous forces of their patron saint is also revealed by the pledge to extend the cathedral in Naples to contain a dedicated chapel specifically for the relics after the triple misfortune of the Italian Wars, the onset of plague and a volcanic eruption in the years 1526/27. The document of the oath, signed by the representatives of the municipal councils (the so-called sedili), is on display as one of the most important sources for the structural development of the cathedral and its treasury. The promise of the Neapolitan citizens was kept, but only put into effect almost a century later, when between 1608 and 1646 the new chapel for the relics was constructed and furnished by the best local and foreign artists in town, such as the sculptor Cosimo Fanzago (1591–1678) and the painter Domenico Zampieri, called Domenichino (1581–1641). Within the exhibition this period is illustrated with a sketch by Domenichino, representing Saint Januarius’ martyrdom in the crater of the Solfatara (c. 1630), a preliminary stage of the patron saint’s legend that is shown in the paintings of the chapel in Naples and is an artistic highlight of the treasury.

The following section of the exhibition is dedicated to the tradition of gold and silver work from the late Middle Ages to the present day in Naples, still perceptible in the quarter around the Piazzetta degli Orefici which is located near the church of Sant’Eligio Maggiore, consecrated to the patron saint of the goldsmiths, Saint Eligius. Black and white photographs on display in this second exhibition space offer some insights into this area – the so-called borgo degli orefici – in the city centre, and into modern workshops of handicrafts, thus indicating the long-established distribution of specific trades, arts and crafts in the historical centre of Naples. While this documentary approach points to a broader history of Neapolitan handicrafts, the examples of the silversmith’s art on display are mainly from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and by masters such as Gian Domenico Vinaccia (1625–95) and the Del Giudice family. A characteristic of many liturgical devices such as those shown is the powerful ornamental style which is obviously influenced by the work of Cosimo Fanzago. Further statues in silverwork reveal the close cooperation between prominent Neapolitan sculptors and local silversmiths, for instance the figure of the Archangel Michael (1691), designed by Lorenzo Vaccaro (1655–1706) and executed by Vinaccia, or the group of Tobias and the Angel (1797), carried out by the brothers Giuseppe and Gennaro Del Giudice after a design by Giuseppe Sanmartino (1720–93), who is mostly known for his famous marble sculpture of Christ under the shroud (1753) in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples.

The next two rooms deal with the presentation of reliquary busts – especially of the aforementioned medieval one – in their location in the Chapel of Saint Januarius and in the museum of the treasury, as well as during the celebrations in honour in the patron saint that happen at least twice a year. For that reason the central room of the exhibition is covered with a black and white photographic wallpaper which gives an idea of the mass and the procession when the reliquary busts of the treasury – led by the one of Saint Januarius – are carried from the cathedral, passing down the ancient street of Spaccanapoli, to the Basilica of Santa Chiara on the first weekend in May (in memory of the transferral of Saint Januarius’ remains from the Abbey of Montevergine near Avellino back to Naples in 1497) and on the patron saint’s feast day on 19 September every year. On display in the centre of this room is the splendid mitre, made by Matteo Treglia (1713) to dress the bust of Saint Januarius on the occasion of holidays and lavishly decorated with precious stones. Two monumental silver candelabras by Filippo Del Giuduce (c. 1745) are also exhibited, usually found in the Chapel of Saint Januarius, as elements of the chapel’s furnishing.

The architectural setting of the adjoining room imitates the placement of the other reliquaries in the Chapel of Saint Januarius and presents a selection of the total of 51 silver busts that belong to the treasury of the cathedral, and date from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Among the Neapolitan baroque sculptors who were involved in the making of these busts, Andrea Falcone (c. 1630–75), Cosimo Fanzago and Lorenzo Vaccaro are especially worth mentioning. Perhaps one of the most fascinating reliquary busts, however, is by Carlo Schisano (1733), representing Saint Irene (of Thessalonica) as the patron saint against thunderstorms and lightning strikes. She is shown protecting Naples, which is portrayed in the form of an adorable detailed miniature model of the baroque city. In addition to Treglia’s mitre, another masterpiece of liturgical jewellery also used for the embellishment of the Angevine reliquary bust on high holidays is exhibited here, namely the necklace of Saint Januarius. Throughout the centuries the sovereigns of Naples donated five valuable cross pendants to be added the original necklace, made in 1679 by Michele Dato.

The penultimate gallery is filled with antependia manufactured from costly textiles. Accompanying them is a short film which demonstrates the liquefaction of Saint Januarius’ blood. This miracle is always expected during the saint’s holidays in May and September as well as on 16 December, and is usually celebrated after the processions in his honour. Thus the visitor gains a vivid impression of the popularity and of the long and persistent adoration of Saint Januarius still extant today.

The exhibition closes with a section about the dynasties that governed Naples from the nineteenth century until World War II. Thanks to the respect for the diocese the treasury of the cathedral was not only excluded from Napoleonic looting, but actually enlarged by many donations, including the addition of pendants to the famous necklace mentioned above. Among these gifts are various liturgical devices, which are on display in this last room. The sovereigns in question present themselves to the visitor through technically animated projections of painted portraits – arranged in chronological order of rulers – from Napoleon’s brother-in-law Joachim Murat to the Bourbon kings and up to the Savoy dynasty. These talking figures tell the stories of their lives, although this sort of personal contact is evidently addressed to the Italian-speaking audience.

In summary, the visitor who might expect to see a mere display of liturgical devices and vestments will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of the works of art and handicrafts presented. The exhibition can also be regarded as an insight into the history and practice of piety as well as into the historical structures of the government and decorative arts in Naples. Beyond that, a didactic trail, especially useful for children, explains several aspects of the exhibition, for example Saint Januarius and his attributes. Further information on the single works of art is provided in the exhibition catalogue (in Italian), by guided tours (in Italian and foreign languages) as well as by an audio guide and exhibition wall texts (both in Italian and English). The exhibition deserves merit for introducing a relatively new museum and its masterpieces to a broader audience.

Il Tesoro di Napoli. I Capolavori del Museo di San Gennaro is at the Fondazione Museo Roma – Palazzo Sciarra, Rome, from 30 October 2013 to 2 March 2014.