Archives
Vatican
Vatican
Azuchi Screens Research Network
Depositories of Vatican
Nov 25, 2005, Interview with the Secretary of the Vatican Museums, Dr. Edith Cicerchia, and the manager of collection at Ethnological Museum, Estelle Console.
1) There are no screens in the collection. (Mr.Conlose was in charge of organizing Eastern artifacts)
2) By investigating historical records, you may be able to trace the screens such as shipping invoices or payment records.
3) Gifts to popes are stored at Floreria Vaticana. To register in the storage artifacts are boxed, then there must be a record of it.
4) Secret Archive (ASV) should be investigated as well.
5) Borgia books in Vatican Library are worth investigating. Remember that all Eastern objects are categorized as "Chinese".
[Paola Cavaliere: 2004 report]
Jan 17, 2007, Interview with Bishop Pagano, Director of ASV: Confirmed the following facts.
1) Floreria Vaticana is located and operated in Palazzo Apostolico.
2) In the Floreria Vaticana, things that belonged to Palazzo Vaticani are stored, but they are not
cataloged or organized. Currently(2007), two scholars are working on organizing 19-18th
centuries and moving to older objects as they progress.
3) There are almost no items from the 16th century. They have not seen any large objects such as
screens in the depository.
4) According to Ludwig Freiherr von, Pastor's, [History of thePopes,1899]"...a picture showing their
city, which was included in the Vatican collection"(current Vatican Museum). Bishop Pagano
recommended we visit the Archive of the Vatican Museum.
[Midori Wakakuwa, Kiyono Shimbo, Paola Cavaliere: Azuchi city screens research project report, February 15, 2007, p8]
Jan 20, 2007, Interview with Dr.De Angelis, administrator at the Archive of the Vatican Museum: Confirmed the following facts.
1) There are(almost) no record of screens or objects from the 16th century.
2) Things gifted to Palazzo Apostolico were incorporated into the papal family rather than the Vatican.
3) There is a possibility that the screens were used as diplomatic gifts. In that case, we need to review diplomatic letters.
[Midori Wakakuwa, Kiyono Shimbo, Paola Cavaliere: Azuchi city screens research project report,February 15, 2007,p8]
Floreia Vaticana
Floreria Vaticana is one of the apostolate storage(guardarobba) in the Vatican palace, managed by Floriere Apostolico, which belongs to Florerier Maggiore and manages beddings, consumables, furniture, fabric, silverware, tableware, copperware, ceremonial tools, and other things used for apostolate service.
Besides Floreria Vaticana, there are other storages such as guardarobba(cloakroom), armaria(armarium), and Sagrestia Segreta(the Secret Sacristy of the Apostolic Palace and the Quirinal)
The inventory of movable property was created by the order form with Pope's signature(chirografo).
[Midori Wakakuwa, Kiyono Shimbo, Paola Cavaliere: Azuchi city screens research project report, February 15, 2007, p16]
Regarding Floreria Vaticana, although past inquiries have indicated that the folding screens are not in the collection of the depository, it still is the place with the highest possibility. The information in Pastore's "History of Pope", which states that the above folding screens were stored in the Vatican, cannot be overlooked. Although it is imperative to inspect the inventory of the Vatican Museums' collection, access to this inventory was said to be very restricted and difficult. Access to the storage itself will be even more difficult. However, we must somehow access the depositories of the Vatican Palace.
[Eliane Roux-Tomoko Ota: ASRN report 4.8.2018]
Conclusion
In our 2007 research we reviewed all inventories and entry/exit records of the Floreria Vaticana, guardarobba, and armaria, but could not find any information on Azuchi Screens. We also reviewed the records at ASV(vatican Secret Archive) and ASR(Archive of Roman state), however, no records are found.
Following is the list of reviewed inventories:
Floreria: 1592-1608, 1608- 1610, 1608-1609, 1609-1612, 1612, 1620, 1641-1644, 1644-1655, 1655-1662, 1658, 1659-1667, 1670-1680, 1700-1749.
Guardarobbba:1648, 1645-1655, 1758(only silverware).
Sagrestia Segreta: early 18th century.
Also, following records were reviewed at ARS.
1) Camerale I, Busta 1557
1-1) Reg 7:Dal 1592 al 1608 Inventario della Floreria: con 5 allegati riguardanti con cegne e nuove aggiunti.
2) Camerale I, Busta1558
2-1) Reg.8: Inventari di tutta la rola che si trova nella Floreria Apostolica 1608-1610, con allegato un elenco dei corami entrati in Floreria nel 1610.
2-2) Reg.9: Inv.in Floreria 1608-1609
2-3) Reg.10: Entrata e Uscita delle robe della Floreria 1609-1612
2-4) Reg.11: Inv. Floreria 1612
2-5) Reg.12: Entrata e uscita delle robe in Floreria 1620
2-6) Reg:13: Spoglio delle robbe in Floreria durante Urbano VIII(1641 agosto - 1644 gennaio 10)
2-7) Reg.14: Spoglio dell'Inventario Vecchio, Floreria,n.d. dei tempi di Innocenzo X 1644 -11655
3) Camerale I, Inventari, Vusta 1559
3-1) Reg.15: Inv.Gurardarobba Innocenzo X 1648
3-2) Reg.16: Spoglio dell'Inventario id.1645-1655
3-4) Reg.17: Inv.Guardarobba Innocenzo X 1648
3-5) Reg.18: Spoglio dell'nv.Alessanro VII 1655-1662
3-6) Reg.19: Nota delle robbe entrate in Floreria nell'Occasione delle feste della nascita di Infante di Spagna 1658
3-7) Reg.20: Libro e inventari, Alessandro VIII, Innocenzo X
3-8) Reg:21: Registori dei mandati di robbe 1659-1667
3-9) Reg.22: Inv.dele robbe entrate nella Floreria InnocenzoXI 1670-1680. Alle Carte91,98,99 note de oggetti smaritie donati
4) Camerale I, Inventari, Vusta 1560
4-1) Reg.23: Registro de'Mandati di Robbe 1700-1749
4-2) Reg.24: Inventario della Sagrestia Segreta (early 18th Century)
4-3) Reg.25: Inventario della Sagrestia Segreta (early 18th Century)
4-4) Reg.26: Inventario Guardarobba Pontifico 1758
[Midori Wakakuwa, Kiyono Shimbo, Paola Cavaliere: Azuchi city screens research project report, February 15, 2007, p16]