Portrait of Pope Innocent X
The object
the Fisherman's Ring on the pope's right hand
The story
The pope wears the Anulus Piscatoris, the Fisherman's Ring, used to seal papal documents. Tradition, dating to the 13th century, holds the ring is ceremonially destroyed at the death of the pope to prevent forged papal acts. Innocent X's actual ring would be struck with a small hammer in front of the College of Cardinals in 1655. When Innocent saw the painting in 1650, he said only: Troppo vero. Too true. Now at Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome @doriapamphilj
The reel
The painting
