Artwork

The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1769: A Building for Public Entertainment

The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1769: A Building for Public Entertainment is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giuseppe Vasi. It dates from 1769 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Giuseppe Vasi’s 1769 etching, titled The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1769: A Building for Public Entertainment, records a temporary, three‑storey theatrical structure erected for the annual Chinea festivities in Rome. The print captures the elaborate façade, its ornamental details, and the surrounding urban scene populated by spectators and passing carriages.

Subject & Meaning

Beneath, a large curtained aperture conceals the interior performance space, while the middle tier displays smaller windows and further decorative motifs.

The composition centers on a stage‑like edifice composed of three distinct levels. The upper tier features a clock, sculptural figures and a balcony framed by heavy drapery, suggesting a ceremonial platform. Beneath, a large curtained aperture conceals the interior performance space, while the middle tier displays smaller windows and further decorative motifs. The lower register shows a crowd in contemporary dress gathered around a street with a fountain and horse‑drawn carriages, illustrating the public’s engagement with the spectacle.

Technique & Style

Vasi employed the etching process, incising lines into a copper plate and using tonal shading to render depth and volume. Cross‑hatching and varied line density create the illusion of three‑dimensional architecture and atmospheric perspective, while the fine detailing of figures and urban elements demonstrates the artist’s skill in combining topographical accuracy with theatrical dramatization.

History & Provenance

Created for the 1769 edition of the Chinea—a tribute procession from the Kingdom of Naples to the Pope—the print served both as a record of the event and as a promotional image for the festivities. Copies of the etching circulated among collectors of Vasi’s vedute, and the work remains documented in several European print collections, reflecting its role as a visual testimony of 18th‑century Roman public celebrations.