Reviews: Treasure of Heaven; Devotion by Design

This first week in July has seen the opening of two major exhibitions in London which celebrate Catholic art: Treasures of Heaven: saints, relics and devotion in mediaeval Europe at the British Museum (until 9 October 2011) and Devotion by Design: Italian Altarpieces before 1500 at the National Gallery (until 2 October 2011).

Treasures of Heaven brings together over 150 objects from collections across the world to tell the story of relics and pilgrimage, tracing its origins in Roman practices, to early Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land and the rise of the cult of relics in Europe, through the Reformation, and on to explore modern devotion to relics and pilgrimage (including secular parallels to the Christian practice). This is a wonderful opportunity for Catholics to see some of the finest reliquaries, and a reminder for English Catholics of a heritage which was so damaged at the Reformation. The curators have been mindful in designing the exhibition to allow for the visitor to have a devotional moment before these holy objects; the attuned viewer will recognise the church-like space which has been created at the heart of the exhibition space, under the dome of the Reading Room.

Less than a mile away at the National Gallery, Devotion by Design focusses on the development of the altarpiece in Italy; which, as is the remit of their free summer exhibitions, focusses on examples from their own collection, bringing many pieces out of the stores. While a collection of altarpieces can permanently be seen in the Gallery's Sainsbury Wing, the exhibition aims to explore their original function, rather than simply as objects which hang in a gallery. Thus, as at the British Museum, the exhibition space has been transformed to include a "church" with a series of "altars", and a series of rooms examining the histories, types, and often enigmas, of these sacred artworks.

The two exhibitions are excellent pendants to one another, covering complementary ground; in exploring altar relics and portable altars, Treasures of Heaven touches on the ground which Devotion by Design takes up, which in turn points back to the importance of relics in connection with a number of key pieces; Devotion by Design is a reminder of the rich collection of Catholic objects which have become part of our national collections (besides the British Museum, the V&A has another excellent collection), while Treasures of Heaven gives us privileged access to objects normally housed across the globe, and some of which may never travel again; both serve to encourage us to view these objects in a new way, or rather, to view them in the way that was intended, namely as signs of the sacred, devotional mediums which can raise our eyes to heaven.


Naomi is currently completing a Masters in Christianity and the Arts at King's College London.

More information and tickets for Treasures of Heaven is available from the British Museum's website: www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/future_exhibitions/treasures_of_heaven.aspx Archbishop Nichols has can be seen speaking about the exhibition on the Diocese of Westminster website: http://vimeo.com/25672021

Details of Devotion by Design can be found on the National Gallery's website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/devotion-by-design