ART AND THEATER - VAN WITTEL Louis (1700 - 1773)... Lot 199

ART AND THEATER - VAN WITTEL Louis (1700 - 1773) - Autograph letter signed Autograph letter signed with many corrections and additions, dated “Napoli 11 Dbre 1770” by the Italian architect and painter. Trained in Rome by the architect Nicola Salvi, with whom he worked on the construction of the Trevi Fountain, Vanvitelli stabilized the dome of St. Peter's Basilica when it developed cracks and found time to paint frescos in a chapel at San Cecilia in Trastevere. His most important work was for sure the Palace of Caserta, commissioned by Charles VII of Naples, who would rival the Palace of Versailles: with its 2 million m³, it is by far the world largest royal palace in terms of volume. Addressed to an “Eccellenza”, concerning the decoration of a Palace’s garden: “…le piantazioni della spalline di qualunque egenere siano, che seminare, a piccolo lavoro di davvero, le ghiande di quercia o Licinio, come è pratiticato in Cosenza li quali in due anni si sono sollevati, tanto che nel 3° siano più alti di me…”. 3 pp. In-4. Included: Black-ink preparatory sketch, presumably for a landscape, by Vanvitelli. (48 x 35 cm).