We have often spoken to you about the Royal Palace of Caserta and of its history. But today we want to to commemorate an anniversary, that of the laying of the first stone of the Royal Palace.
The laying of the foundation stone was in the year 1752
Well yes, a good 269 years ago, exactly on this day, January 20th, the laying of the first stone of the Royal Palace of Caserta was celebrated. Naturally, the ceremony took place in the presence of the Royals. A very interesting text, published by Marsilius, describes the event in this way:
«The laying of the foundation stone took place on 20 January 1752 on a sunny and cold day with a north wind. The court arrived at the old princely palace Acquaviva for prepare for the complex ceremony of the eventFor the occasion, Vanvitelli wore a new blue velvet doublet with gold buttons. Finally the court moved to the construction site and the laying of the first stone was a magnificent success.»
The King's discontent
Sometimes, however, it seems, excessive realism can unsettle someone's soul. This is what happened to King Charles. Indeed, the description of the ceremony continues as follows:
«…jewels and coins were buried. The commemorative medal was criticized by the king because its successful profile was not to his taste.: perhaps it was because of the famous nose (the so-called "Bourbon nose") that the minting artist had reproduced too faithfully...».
The fresco
The image of the rulers, however, did not only appear on coins. In fact, there is a fresco depicting the ceremony of January 20, 1752.The painting in question bears the signature of Gennaro Maldarelli. In addition to being a professor of drawing at the Royal Institute of Fine Arts of Naples, he is also the author of the decorations of many palaces of the Neapolitan nobility.
During the renovation work on the Throne Room, conducted between 1836 and 1845 by the architect Gaetano GenoveseMaldarelli found himself decorating the vault. For the occasion, the artist chose to depict the ceremony of laying the foundation stone. In addition to various Neapolitan churches, other works by the same author can be found, among others, in Cathedral of Capua.
