Made of precious metals, such as 750/1000 (18Kt) yellow gold and 925/1000 silver, resting on a sodalite base, the paperweight clearly evokes symbols and meanings associated with the Christian and Catholic religions.
The idea came from thinking about the first gesture that marks the beginning of the Jubilee Year, namely the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
The central point of the desk ornament is in fact an open door, included in the famous colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, which directly contains the dome of the Basilica, albeit simplified and stylized compared to the real one.
The silver dome is a clear reference to the most important church in the world, on which a yellow gold cross, an unmistakable symbol of the Christian religion, rests delicately.
The cross is highlighted by the brightness of the precious metal and gradually slides down to the entrance of the colonnade, a passage that is one with the Holy Door, open and ready to welcome the faithful.
The meaning of the colonnade, as conceived by Bernini, namely the embrace extended to pilgrims arriving at the church, takes on even greater significance when directly connected to the door symbolizing the Holy Year, that special entrance leading to the house of God.
A beam of light radiates outwards from the central element of the scene, with golden and silver rays, a powerful light reminiscent of divine beauty.
The rays merge into a rainbow that encompasses the entire scene, a further symbol that for Christianity represents the covenant between God and man, a symbol of peace and hope…
The representation then evolves towards the lower part with a silver and gold parchment bearing the letters I H S, a monogram representing the name of Jesus which, when interpreted in Latin as ‘Iesus Hominum Salvator’, can also be understood as Jesus the savior of mankind.
The placement of the parchment parallel to the entrance of the passageway is as if to remind us that Jesus and God the Father are always ready to welcome man…
