Artwork

The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1755: A Royal Hunting Lodge

The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1755: A Royal Hunting Lodge is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giuseppe Vasi. It dates from 1755 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Smoke or fireworks rise from the top, and people in old-fashioned clothes stand around it, some watching from below.

This drawing shows a grand, temporary stage set up to look like a fancy hunting lodge. It has tall columns, steps, and flags hanging everywhere. Smoke or fireworks rise from the top, and people in old-fashioned clothes stand around it, some watching from below. The scene looks like it’s at night, with lights glowing on the structure.

The text at the bottom says this was built for a special event in 1755. It’s not a real building—just a decorated stage meant to impress visitors.

If you like this kind of detailed drawing, look up etching to see how artists like this made precise prints.

Overview

Giuseppe Vasi’s 1755 etching records a temporary theatrical structure erected for the Chinea ceremony of that year. Rendered on laid paper, the print captures a lavish, makeshift hunting lodge, complete with towering columns, stairways, and an abundance of flags, illuminated against a nocturnal backdrop.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents a staged façade designed to awe spectators, featuring simulated smoke or fireworks rising from its summit and figures in period dress gathered around the scene. Though presented as a hunting lodge, the structure serves a ceremonial purpose, embodying the pageantry of the royal celebration rather than an actual architectural work.

Technique & Style

Executed in fine etching, Vasi employs delicate line work to delineate architectural details and the play of light on the structure’s surfaces. The contrast between darkened sky and the glowing interior highlights the artist’s skill in rendering atmospheric effects and the transient nature of the spectacle.

History & Provenance

Created specifically for the 1755 Chinea—a diplomatic tribute involving a ceremonial horse—this print documents the elaborate temporary set that accompanied the event. The work remains a primary visual source for understanding the visual culture of mid‑eighteenth‑century Roman festivities.

Context

The Chinea ceremony, a yearly homage to the Pope by the Kingdom of Naples, often featured extravagant temporary constructions. Vasi’s depiction aligns with the broader tradition of baroque spectacle, where architecture, performance, and civic ritual merged to reinforce political and religious hierarchies.