A sketch is worth a thousands pictures
The interiors of Villa La Rotonda captured in a painting during the #italiagrandsketchingtour.
The Neoclassical Villa La Rotonda is a masterpiece by Andrea Palladio. In 1565 a priest, Paolo Almerico, on his retirement from the Vatican came back to his city of Vicenza and asked Palladio to build a country house inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.
This Villa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and thanks to his last owner, Mario di Valmarana, it is possible to visit the Villa and its park and enjoy the serenity of this place. If the exteriors are imposing, the interiors are pure magic. Pictures are not allowed inside and so I was very glad that I am a sketcher and I could capture the richness of this place, even if just through some fast lines.
The four principal salons on the piano nobile, the ones that is possible to visit, are covered in frescoes by Alessandro and Giovanni Battista Maganza and Anselmo Canera. In particular, the West Salon is also called the Holy Room, because of the religious nature of its frescoes, and the East Salon contains an allegorical life story of the first owner, Paolo Almerico, with his many admirable qualities portrayed.
Anyhow, the highlight of the interior is the central, circular hall, surrounded by a balcony and covered by the dome that allows the light to enter. The decorations soar the full height of the main house. Abundant trompe l’oeil frescoes create an atmosphere that is more reminiscent of a cathedral than the principal salon of a country house.
And this is the part that I decided to depict from a corner at the entrance, while everyone was looking curiously at me.
Title of the painting ‘The Interiors of Villa La Rotonda’
This is a painting from the Italia Grand Sketching Tour Collection, a series of original ink and watercolor paintings done on location during my tour to discovery the marvelous Italian heritage. All paintings are also available as numbered and originally signed prints.
The painting is also featured in the book about my motorbike Italian tour. By acquiring this work you will get to know better Italy also thanks to a personalized story about this place that I will include in the package.
Painting information:
- Watercolor and ink on white paper
- Size 19 x 28.5 cm (7.5 x 11.2 inches)
- Shipped in a box
- Certificate of authenticity will be sent with the painting
