Copy of Competition Design by Vanvitelli for the Facade of S. Giovanni in Laterano
1763, after a drawing of 1732
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-7445
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This architectural drawing captures Luigi Vanvit’s 1732 competition entry for the grand facade of San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome’s cathedral and one of the city’s most historic basilicas. Created in 1763 as a copy of the original design, the work reflects the lively debates of early eighteenth-century Rome, when leading architects vied to give the ancient church a modern, monumental face. Vanvitelli, already an accomplished designer who would later create the celebrated Royal Palace of Caserta, brought his characteristic clarity and dramatic scale to the project. Although Alessandro Galilei u...