Napoli: MRA-ITA-Nap001
Type Sample Item
Sample ID
- MRA-ITA-Nap001
Sample Material Type
- Mural painting
Sample Sub-type
- fragment
Dimensions (cm)
- Length
- 9
- Width
- 6.3
- Height
- 2.1
Weight
- weight value (g)
- 95.5
Geographic Location
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Napoli
Site/monument
- Italy (ITA)
Napoli
Palazzo Reale
Historical note about the site/monument
- The palace is located in the old center of Naples and was in almost continuous residential use from around 1600 until 1919, when it was sold by Vittorio Emanuele III of Savoy to the state. It served as the home of many leading families including the Spanish viceroys in the 17th century and the Bourbons in the 18th century. Unsurprisingly, in this span of some 300 years the building underwent alterations to match the status and tastes of its various owners. The palace as it exists today is the result of such cumulative expansion and renovation, which culminated in 1858 when Gaetano Genovese led restoration works following a fire of 1837. Under the superintendence of Gaetano, the building was given a Neoclassical façade. The stately, restrained character of the palace’s exterior belies a florid, often Baroque or Rococo interior. The Apartments of the King are a cardinal example. Opulently outfitted in the 18th century, they contain frescoes by artists including Francesco Galante, Alberto Chiancone, Vincenzo Ciardo, Antonio Bresciani, and Francesco de Mura. Today the palace is used to house 2 theaters, a museum, regional administrative offices, and the National Library of Vittorio Emanuele III.
Further reading:
Walch, P. (1979). Foreign Artists at Naples: 1750-1799. The Burlington Magazine, 121(913), 247-256.
Stoughton, M. (1982) The Golden Age of Naples: Art and Civilization under the Bourbons 1734–1805, Art Journal, 42:1, 53-55, DOI: 10.1080/00043249.1982.10792748
McClung, W. (1998). The decor of power in Naples, 1747. Journal of Architectural Education, 52(1), 38-48.
Chronological period (sample)
- 18th century
Other info about sample provenance
- Napoli, Palazzo Reale, Francesco De Mura (hand-written notes)