PARTY COSTUMES

WHEN IN APRIL 1992,  IN TRENTO, DURING THE CONVENTION “THIS UNKNOWN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY” ORGANIZED BY THE BIBLIGRAFICA  PUBLISHERS AND THE   TRENTO  PROVINCE , I  WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY  AT THE END OF MY SPEECH TO PROJECT ONTO A GIANT SCREEN , THE COLOUR SLIDES OF  THE EXTRAORDINARY COSTUMES OF THE  PARTY GIVEN BY HIS MAJESTY ON 20 th FEBRUARY 1854 (  PRINTED IN PARIS BY  THE BERTAUTS LITHOGRAPHY PRINTING WORKS  AND EDITED BY LUIGI MARTA ),  AND I HAD THE RARE SENSATION  THAT I WAS IN FRONT OF A PLEASANTLY SURPRISED  BUT  AT THE SAME TIME ADMIRING PUBLIC.
I UNDERSTOOD IN THAT PRECISE MOMENT THAT SIMILAR MASTEPIECES SHOULD NOT BE THE PRIVILAGE OF THE FEW, BUT A FERTILE GROUND FOR NEW RESEARCH, SHOWING THE PASSING OF TIME THROUGH  THE EVOLUTION OF IMAGES, THE CHANGE IN TECHNIQUES, THE MODERN VISION OF FORM. FRANCO DI MAURO, PUBLISHER, HAS SURELY HELPED ME  TO ACTUALIZE THIS HOPE AND FOR THIS I WILL ALWAYS BE  GRATEFUL, ESPECIALLY SO AS HE HAS EXTENDED TO MANY THE KNOWLEDGE OF  THESE WORKS OF GREAT BEAUTY, MIRROR OF AN AGE AND IT’S MEMORABLE EVENTS. I WANTED TO DISCOVER AGAIN  THE FASCINATING ITINERIES OF THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN ILLUSTRATIONS ( ABOVE ALL NEAPOLITAN ) IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY , WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO STYLES, TECHNIQUES, ARTISTS, CULTURE AND VISION WHICH WERE  ELABORATED ALL OVER THE TERRITORY. I WOULD SUGGEST ( AS IF IT WERE NECESSARY )  THAT TO UNDERSTAND WORKS OF THIS KIND, TO GO FURTHER  THAN THE IMMEDIATE  PERCEPTION OF THEIR BEAUTY, YOU  MUST ALSO USE STRONG INTERPRETIVE INSTRUMENTS AND  CONSOLIDATED STANDARDS OF ANALYSIS………

GIUSEPPINA ZAPPELLA

AMONG THE VARIED PANORAMA OF PARTIES WHICH CHARACTERIZED THE LIFE OF THE MAIN COURTS IN ITALY FOR ABOUT THREE CENTURIES, A MAJOR POINT OF NOTE IS UNDOUBTABLY CARNIVAL TIME. TO GIVE PROOF OF THIS IT IS ENOUGH TO CITE THE MANY ENTHUSIASTIC DESCRIPTIONS THAT THE PROTAGONISTS OF THE “GRAND TOUR” WROTE IN THEIR  TRAVELLER’S DIARIES  SPEAKING OF  THIS YEARLY APPOINTMENT CELEBRATED WITH PARTICULAR ENTHUSIASM IN CITIES LIKE VENICE, ROME AND NAPLES. IN NAPLES, CARNIVAL TIME – THAT ALREADY HAD A SOLID TRADITION IN THE CITY IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY  - HAD AN EXTRA IMPULSE BECAUSE WITH CARLO OF BOURBON SITTING ON THE THRONE OF THE TWO SICILIES, THE USUAL POPULAR EXPRESSIONS WERE ADDED TO  BY OTHER FESTIVE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE NOBILITY, FIRST ON THE LIST ALL NIGHT DANCING PARTIES .THE ENTREPRENEUR, DIEGO TUFAELLI, INTRODUCED THESE PARTIES TO THE NOBILITY AND IN 1747 ASKED AND RECEIVED PERMISSION FOR  << FANCY DRESS MASKS,  MEN AND WOMEN , IN ALL FREEDOM,  AS  WAS THE CASE  IN ALL THE MOST FAMOUS NOBLE THEATRES IN EUROPE >> TO BE GIVEN ENTRANCE TO SAN CARLO. EXCEPT FOR ONE OR TWO RARE INTERRUPTIONS, THIS TRADITION WAS LOOKED UPON WITH GREAT FAVOUR BY  THE LOCAL ARISTOCACY DURING THE WHOLE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY AND AFTER TEN YEARS OF FRENCH DOMINATION  IT WAS ONCE AGAIN TAKEN UP WITH EVEN MORE ENTHUSIASM BY THE BOURBON SOVREIGNS WHO CAME TO GOVERN AFTER THE RESTORATION. PARTICULARLY LUXURIOUS  WAS THE FANCY DRESS MANIFESTATION  HELD IN 1827 WHICH WAS CENTERED AROUND THE FIGURE  OF FRANCESCO I   DRESSED UP AS AN ORIENTAL SULTAN WHICH WAS  THE OBJECT OF A PRECIOUS PUBLICATION ILLUSTRATED WITH A REFINED SERIES OF LITHOGRAPHIES BY THE PRESSES OF CUCINIELLO AND BIANCHI.

THE FANCY DRESS MANIA FLOURISHED MOST DURING THE TIME OF ANOTHER GOVERMENT  THOUGH, THAT OF FERDINANDO  II , KNOWN NOT ONLY FOR HIS PIOUS EDUCATION BUT ALSO FOR HIS IN-BORN PASSION FOR MILITARY MANOVRES AND PARADES, AND LASTLY FOR HIM  BEING AN EXCELLENT DANCER WHO SHOWED OFF HIS TALENT WILLINGLY EVEN DURING INVITATIONS BY NOBLES AND DIPLOMATIC DELEGATIONS APART FROM THE NUMEROUS OTHER GALAS GIVEN IN OCCASION OF BIRTHDAYS AND NAME DAYS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. IN FACT IT WAS HIS THE IDEA TO ORGANIZE THE LAST GRAND PARTIES OF THE  BOURBON COURT, LIKE THE BALL GIVEN AT THE ROYAL PALACE  IN 1837 FOR HIS MARRIAGE TO MARIA TERESA. AS IN THE PAST THOUGH THE REAL CLIMAX OF  THESE MANIFESTATIONS WAS CARNIVAL TIME CELEBRATED AT SAN CARLO  WITH A SERIES OF ALL NIGHT DANCING PARTIES, EACH HAVING FROM FOUR HUNDRED TO ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED GUESTS INVITED. APART FROM THE CREAM OF THE NEAPOLITAN SOCIETY, THESE PARTIES HAD A GREAT  NUMBER OF GUESTS FROM THE DIPLOMATIC CIRCLES AND FAMOUS FOREIGN PERSONAGES TOO WHO PROBABLY USED THE FANCY DRESS IN ORDER TO ESCAPE FOR A FEW HOURS FROM THE DIFFICULT POLITICAL SITUATION REIGNING IN THOSE YEARS. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE INCREDIBLE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZED FOR THE 1847 CARNIVAL- IN THE AREA NEXT TO THE ROYAL PALACE  BUILT BY VANVITELLI  IN CASERTA - EXCEPTIONALLY CONCEDED ONLY FOR THIS OCCASION AND WHICH SAW AS “ THE HEAD OF THE RED FACTION” FERDINANDO II  DRESSED UP IN AN IMPRESSIVE SUIT OF ARMOUR  REPRESENTING A WARRIOR OF THE MIDDLE-AGES.

TO CLOSE THE CYCLE  OF  THE CARNIVAL EVENTS  WAS THE NO LESS GREAT AND MEMORABLE EDITION OF THE 1854 HELD IN THE PARTY APPARTMENT OF THE ROYAL PALACE ON THE EVENING BETWEEN 20 AND 21 st FEBRUARY AND AS USUAL REPEATED ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS ALSO. THIS TIME THE KING’S FERVID IMAGINATION  - AFTER THE << MARVELLOUS IDEA OF THE EQUINE GAMES >>- INVENTED THE FIVE SECTIONS, <<A MAGNIFICENT IMAGE OF DIFFERENT AGES SHOWING THE FASHIONS AND HABITS OF THE TIMES >>. WE ARE TOLD THIS BY LUIGI MARTA IN HIS PRECISE  INTRODUCTORY NOTE IN THE RICH AND ELEGANT VOLUME  EDITED BY HIM FOR THIS OCCASION, AN IN-FOLIO ALBUM CONTAINING THIRTY TWO PLATES  PORTRAYING THE MAIN PROTAGONISTS OF THAT EVENING IN THEIR ELABORATE CLOTHING, THE OUTCOME OF << THE HARD WORK OF CRAFTSMEN AND ARTISTS WHICH LASTED FOR WEEKS >>.EVEN MARTA  NOTES THAT TO MAKE THE COSTUMES FAITHFULLY  WITH PRECISION << IN THE MOST FAMOUS COURTS >> CAREFUL STUDIES WERE MADE IN THE  << PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBARIES >>  CHECKING ON << HISTORY, CRONACLES, ARCHEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTIONS, PORTRAITS, COATS OF ARMS >>.A LONG AND ACCURATE RESEARCH CONDUCTED PERSONALLY BY ALL THOSE  ENVOLVED << TOGETHER WITH CHOSEN ARTISTS >> AMONG WHICH PROBABLY WERE ALSO THE TWO COSTUME ASSISTANTS OF THE << ROYAL THEATRES >>, THE CONTRACTOR CARLO GUILLAUME AND THE DESIGNER FILIPPO DEL BUONO.IT IS SURE THOUGH THE COLLABORATION OF THE PAINTER PASQUALE MATTEI – THE ILLUSTRATOR OF THE LIFE AT COURT AND PASSIONATE SCOLAR OF POPULAR “FESTAS” – TO WHICH WE MUST THANK FOR THE PREPARATORY DESIGN  FOR THE III PLATE  WHERE WE  HAVE THE KING DRESSED UP AS LUIGI XIII SURROUNDED BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY – THE QUEEN MARIA TERESA, THE PRINCESS MARIA AMALIA, MARIA ISABELLA COUNTESS OF TRAPANI, LUIGI COUNT OF AQUILA – ALL IN CLOTHES INSPIRED BY THE RICHELIEU PERIOD. OF COURSE AN INITIATIVE  THAT REQUIRED SUCH A LARGE AND QUALIFIED PATICIPATION DESERVED TO BE SENT DOWN TO THE PRESENT DAY THROUGH A VOLUME WHICH MERITS << AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE ANNUALS OF THE ARTS >>. IN ORDER TO REACH THIS AIM MARTA DIDN’T HESITATE TO GO TO FRANCE WHERE  HE WAS ABLE  TO ACTUATE HIS PLAN , HAVING AT HIS DISPOSAL THE MAJOR CROMO-LITHOGRAPHIES EXISTING AT THAT TIME << TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE EXTRAVAGANT MONARCH >>.