Model of the chapel of St. John the Baptist
AUTHOR
Giuseppe Palms (woodworker), Giuseppe Fochetti, Giuseppe Voyet and Genaro Nicoletti (painters)
PLACE/DATE
Italy, Rome, 1744-1747
MATERIALS
Painted and gilt walnut, painting on copper
INV
MB.326
In 1747, after it had been partially exposed in Rome and its altar consecrated by Pope Benedict XIV (1675-1758), the chapel of St. John the Baptist, together with other liturgical vessels for its service, travelled by sea to Lisbon. The installation of the chapel in São Roque was completed in 1752, about two years after the death of the king, who never saw the work completed.
The maquette represents the final version of the project, which was probably used for the monarch's approval or as an auxiliary model for its assembly in the Church of São Roque. It is one of only two maquettes from the Johannine period that have survived to the present day, along with that of the chancel of the Cathedral of Évora, housed in the Church of São Francisco in the same city. These are precious testimonies of the introduction of the academic way of conceiving and planning architectural work implemented in Portugal by João Frederico Ludovice (1673-1752).
