18th century, Devotional panel with Clement XI 

early eighteenth century

Devotional panel with Clement XI 

Painted and gilded paper and wax ovals

With frame, 38 x 42 cm

The piece illustrated here is a fine example of a devotional panel created using the paperoles (or papier roulés) technique, a term that translates to "rolled paper" in Italian. This artisanal practice involves working thin strips of paper, in this case painted in polychrome and embellished with gilding, which are shaped to create relief ornaments intended to frame images or sacred objects, with a strong contrast provided by the dark background. This particular form of artisanal production developed starting in the 17th century, becoming prevalent in convents in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

In the panel under consideration, the paper has been shaped to create a complex decorative arrangement characterized by lush plant-like elements. These elements emanate from the center of the lower section and develop, wrapping around five wax ovals—discs obtained from the melted Paschal Candle. The custom of breaking the Paschal Candle into tiny fragments and distributing them to the faithful dates back to the 5th century in Roman churches. Subsequently, the practice evolved into the custom of reusing the wax to create discs (often sealed or impressed), which depicted the image of a Saint on the back and the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, on the front. The preparation of this wax, by mixing Sacred Chrism with the melted wax of the Paschal Candle, was initially entrusted to apostolic subdeacons. Responsibility later passed to the Papal Sacristan, then to the Cistercians of the Monastery of Santa Pudenziana and San Bernardo alle Terme in Rome, and finally to the Monastery of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The oval in the centre of the panel depicts Pope Clement XI (pontificate 1700-1721), around which can be read the inscription “CLEMENS XI PONT MAXI”, surrounded by four other ovals of slightly smaller dimensions bearing the image of the Agnus Dei and other religious figures, elements which date the work to the 18th century. Pope Clement XI (Giovanni Francesco Albani) was known mainly for having promoted a difficult foreign policy marked by power struggles with the great powers, culminating in the papal occupation of Comacchio. In the theological field, he issued the bull Unigenitus (1713) against Jansenism, which caused a strong schism in the French Church. He was a great patron of the arts and sciences, enriching the Vatican collections and promoting important architectural works in Rome. His pontificate, though troubled, was crucial in redefining the relationship between the Holy See and European states in the eighteenth century.

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