The great tapestry 'Ananias and Sapphira', based on Raphael's models and exhibited for the first time in Japan on the occasion of the National Day of the Italian Republic, was the subject of the art conference 'Ananias and Sapphira: Raphael's multiples', held by Prof. Costanza Barbieri, art historian and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
The tapestry, an unprecedented testimony of the Italian Renaissance, provided the backdrop for the conference, which was attended by a large audience of members of the Kansai cultural and academic community. The participation of a large number of Japanese university students was particularly significant, confirming the interest in Raphael's work among the younger generations. Barbieri, a specialist in 16th century art, explained the genesis and iconographic meanings of the work. "For a Renaissance art historian like me, talking about Raphael means confronting his genius and his innovative system," she said during the lecture, highlighting the novelty of Raphael's approach, which revolutionised Western artistic processes during the Renaissance. Raphael, the artist who perhaps best represented classical Renaissance beauty, was commissioned in 1515-16 by Pope Leo X to produce models depicting biblical scenes from the New Testament as tapestries to be displayed in the Sistine Chapel. Raphael's models later spread throughout Europe, and the tapestry of 'Ananias and Sapphira' is attributed to the Flemish manufactory of Heinrich Mattens between 1620 and 1625. The tapestry is now part of the private collection of Roberto Bilotti Ruggi d'Aragona.
Opening the conference, the Consul General of Italy in Osaka, Marco Prencipe highlighted the solid foundations of cultural cooperation between Italy and Japan, as well as their role in the renewed bilateral strategic partnership. In this regard, Prencipe stressed the importance attributed to cultural partnerships between Italy and Japan within the Italy-Japan Action Plan, approved at the recent G7 Summit in Puglia by the heads of government of the respective countries, Giorgia Meloni and Fumio Kishida. Prencipe concluded by recalling how, on the occasion of the next universal EXPO to be held in Osaka in 2025, art will be the protagonist of the Italian Pavilion, which will have the theme 'Art regenerates life'. "When you say Italy, all over the world, you immediately think of art, of the immense, priceless heritage that makes Italy, for its history, its beauty, its culture, its creativity a unique country in the world'.
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