Giovanni Paolo Panini
, Italian, c.1692-1765
Title
Preparations to Celebrate the Birth of the Dauphin of France in the Piazza NavonaDate1731
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
109 x 246 cm
Signedcentre right: I.P. Panini 1731
Credit LinePurchased, 1871
Object numberNGI.95
DescriptionAfter the birth of the dauphin, heir of the king of France, on 4 September 1729, the French ambassador in Rome, Cardinal Melchior de Polignac, decided to celebrate the royal event by promoting, at his own expense, a programme of 10 days of festivities in Rome. the final day culminated in a display of fireworks in Piazza Navona, shown here being prepared. Pier Leone Ghezzi was placed in charge of the architectural apparatus, and a number of extravagant monuments and columns in papier mâché, after his designs, were added to the Bernini fountain in front of Sant’Agnese. To record the occasion properly, the ambassador then commissioned from Panini, the most famous painter of Roman views, who had already portrayed him visiting St Peter’s, two large, almost identical views of the preparations. The first was given to his king, while the second one, shown here, he kept for himself. Panini has left us the only record. All the palaces of the square are decorated with carpets and coats of arms of the King of France, while workers are busy erecting poles with festoons and candles. The distinguished gentleman at the centre, with the badge of the order of the Holy Spirit, is Cardinal Polignac. Many of the other noblemen, ladies, abbots and clerks are likely to be portraits, however there is no key in existence. Some are identifiable: a small group with two children are the exiled royal Stuarts: James III, known as the old Pretender; Charles Edward, called Bonnie Prince Charlie; and Prince Henry, who later became Cardinal of York. In the right foreground, Panini paints himself and, beside him, Pier Leone Ghezzi.
March 2016
ProvenanceCardinal Melchior de Polignac, by whom commissioned; the de Polignac family; purchased by the 3rd Lord Ashburton; purchased, Christie's, 3 June 1871, 4th Lord Ashburton sale, lot 31 Exhibition HistoryOld Masters Exhibition, Burlington House, London, 1882
La Vita degli stranieri a Roma, Royal Commission International Exhibition, British Historical Section, Castel Sant' Angelo, Rome, 1911
European Masters of the 18th Century, Royal Academy, London, 1954-1955
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
The Architecture of Ireland in Drawings & Paintings, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1975
Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 27 February - 21 May 2000; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 17 June - 17 September 2000
La Festa a Roma dal Rinascimento al 1870, Museo Nazionale del Palazzo Venezia, Venice, 20 May - 15 September 1997
Baroque 1620-1800: Style of the Age of Magnificence, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 4 April - 19 July 2009
Eyewitness Views: Making History in the Capitals of Eighteenth-Century Europe, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. 25 February to 20 May 2018
Label TextExtravagant celebrations took place in Rome to mark the birth of King Louis XV’s heir. Workers are shown preparing for a display of fireworks in Piazza Navona. The church of Sant’Agnese is visible in the background, and the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers, designed by Bernini, is at centre. Ornate temporary monuments, made from papier mâché, are displayed alongside the fountain. Panini was commissioned by the French Ambassador in Rome to paint two versions of this scene, one of which he presented to Louis XV.