Artwork

The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1776: A Palace with a Loggia for the Lottery Draw

The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea of 1776: A Palace with a Loggia for the Lottery Draw is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giuseppe Vasi. It dates from 1776 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Giuseppe Vasi’s 1776 etching, titled The Seconda Macchina for the Chinea, depicts a lavish palace with a loggia used for a public lottery drawing. The composition centers on a clock tower flanked by ornate façades, while a bustling crowd gathers on the steps and in the surrounding streets.

Subject & Meaning

The work records a ceremonial event linked to the Chinea lottery, a charitable fundraising tradition. Figures in period dress, including riders and pedestrians, populate the scene, emphasizing the communal nature of the occasion and the civic pride associated with the building’s public function.

Technique & Style

Executed in fine‑line etching, Vasi renders architectural detail and textile folds with meticulous precision. The delicate incisions create a sense of depth, allowing the viewer to discern individual statues, roof ornaments, and the multitude of tiny figures that animate the composition.

History & Provenance

Created in 1776, the print was originally produced to commemorate the second machine (Seconda Macchina) employed in the Chinea lottery. It circulated as a printed record of the event, though its later ownership history remains sparsely documented.

Context

The etching belongs to a period when Vasi documented Rome’s urban landscape and public spectacles. The Chinea lottery, tied to papal charity, was a prominent civic ritual, and the palace’s loggia served as the official venue for the draw, reflecting the intertwining of architecture and public ceremony in 18th‑century Rome.