The portrait, the latest in the series of papal portraits kept in the basilica, was displayed on Saturday. The Pro Music and Sacred Art Foundation presented the artwork to Benedict XVI at the end of last Wednesday’s general audience.
The artist, Ulisse Sartini, told Vatican Radio that when making the portrait he «concentrated on the face and the eyes, trying to capture his look, always smiling.»
Benedict XVI’s portrait faces the altar. He is dressed in liturgical ornaments and the symbols of his pontificate, the shell and pallium.
