Like the proverbial bus, you wait for an exhibition of Catholic cultural interest to come along and then two show up at once. As nobody notices, they swiftly move on. Fortunately, one is on for a few more weeks.
Both exhibitions in central London are historic events that have received almost no publicity at all. Recently departed was exquisite medieval European metalwork at Sam Fogg, while Colnaghi is still displaying 17th-18th-century Latin American art in every medium. What they have in common is Catholicism, and the word “treasure” in their titles. Whether the contents are liturgical items intended to sway the simple-minded peasantry of Europe, or the recently converted native population of the New World, it’s easy to see the magic they must have worked in their day.
