Gallery of Tapestries in the Vatican Museums

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What it is

A long corridor hung with large Flemish tapestries from the so-called New School series, showing scenes from the life of Christ. The original series comprised twelve pieces; the Vatican Museums state that eight are currently on display. They were woven in Brussels in the workshop of Pieter van Aelst from designs made by Raphael's pupils after the artist's death in 1520, and the Museums describe their use as hangings during Christmas and Easter consistories.

Two different Raphael series

Visitors regularly conflate two distinct groups of Vatican tapestries, and most online guides repeat the confusion.

• • Acts of the Apostles — commissioned by Pope Leo X and designed by Raphael himself in the 1510s. The full-size cartoons for that series are the Raphael Cartoons now at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
• • New School (Life of Christ) — the Flemish series discussed here. The designs were produced by Raphael's pupils after his death, and the weaving was carried out in Brussels in the workshop of the tapestry maker Pieter van Aelst. The compositions follow Raphael's visual language, but they are not his own designs.

The other major series

The gallery is not limited to the Flemish Life of Christ tapestries. It also displays works from the Life of Urban VIII, produced in Rome's Barberini tapestry workshop between 1663 and 1679. These celebrate episodes from Maffeo Barberini's life and papacy, and they are separate from both Raphael's Acts of the Apostles and the New School Life of Christ series.

The scenes on display

The displayed tapestries derive from an original group that included:

• • Adoration of the Shepherds
• • Adoration of the Magi
• • Presentation in the Temple
• • Three Massacre of the Innocents tapestries
• • Resurrection
• • Noli me tangere
• • Supper at Emmaus
• • Ascension
• • Pentecost
• • Descent into Limbo, now lost

Because only part of the series is shown and displays can be rotated for conservation reasons, check the panels in the gallery for what is hanging on the day of your visit.

The eyes that follow you

Many visitors report that Christ's eyes appear to follow them as they move past the Resurrection tapestry, and that the tomb slab seems to shift orientation with the viewing angle. It is one of the gallery's best-known talking points. Treat it as a widely shared perceptual observation — the kind of effect frontally painted faces often produce — rather than as documented proof that the weavers engineered a deliberate illusion. Walk slowly from one end of the tapestry to the other and judge for yourself.

How long to spend

Ten minutes is a realistic minimum, and 15–20 if you want to read the individual scenes and their decorative borders. Most visitors pass through in about five minutes on the way to the Gallery of Maps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Gallery of Tapestries?

Are these woven from the Raphael Cartoons in London?

How many tapestries are shown here?

Who made them?

Why do Christ's eyes seem to follow you?

Are photos allowed?

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