The prestigious throne kept in the Royal Palace of Naples, always catalogued as an artefact from the Bourbon era dating back to the period 1845-50, has revealed a surprising truth: it was commissioned by the Savoy and soldered in 1874.
This unexpected discovery, announced today during the presentation of the restoration at the Reggia di Venaria, moves the date of its construction forward by thirty years and rewrites the history of the throne and, consequently, the chronology of the Royal Palace Neapolitan.
The announcement was made during the preview – open from today until next fall – of the 2026th edition of “Restituzioni”, the important initiative of the Intesa Sanpaolo Culture Project, which will then be inaugurated at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome at the end of the summer. The throne will make its definitive return to the Royal Palace of Naples in February XNUMX.
Last September 12, the throne left Naples to undergo a delicate restoration at the La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center in Turin, an intervention made possible thanks to the support of the “Restituzioni” project by Intesa Sanpaolo. During this period, the throne was temporarily replaced by an eighteenth-century Bourbon seat.
“The attribution of the Throne of the Royal Palace of Naples to the Savoy era represents a discovery of great historical importance – commented the General Director of Museums Massimo Osanna – which confirms how important Naples and its Palace were for the new sovereigns, a few years after the unification of the peninsula.
Today the Royal Palace is at the center of a large-scale transformation project, made possible thanks to funds from the MIC’s Great Cultural Heritage Project, which will allow visitors to enjoy a renovated museum itinerary that is accessible to all audiences.
Our cultural sites are no longer just spaces for conservation and enjoyment, but are increasingly becoming laboratories for research and innovation. Thanks to the daily work of cultural heritage professionals, we are now able to integrate documentary research, restoration interventions and enhancement projects, also through virtuous collaborations between public institutions and private entities, as demonstrated by the successful experience with the Reggia di Venaria, the Centro Conservazione e Restauro and Intesa Sanpaolo”.
The turning point in the dating came thanks to meticulous studies and research conducted during the eight months of restoration. A dense correspondence emerged regarding the modernization of the Throne Room desired by the House of Savoy, but the key document was the invoice presented by the carver Luigi Ottajano, which attests to the execution of the entire throne (“a rich throne chair carved and gilded in the Empire style”) and other works for the renovation of the Room (Correspondence of 1874).
“The document was found at the State Archives of Naples by the scholar Carmine Napoli, now a former official, whom we thank for the sensational discovery – declared the architect Paola Ricciardi, delegated director of the Royal Palace of Naples – In-depth news from the colleagues who conducted the study of the parallel documentation preserved at the State Archives of Naples from which the material comes”.
Luigi Ottajano, already known for having created, together with Domenico Morelli, the cradle for the birth of Vittorio Emanuele III, donated by the city of Naples to Queen Margherita and today exhibited at the Royal Palace of Caserta, had until now only been attributed with the crowning of the throne with the eagle with a crossed shield on its chest, emblem of the new reigning house, considering the chair to be from the Bourbon era.
The decision of the Savoys to commission a throne from scratch for the Neapolitan Royal Palace underlines the importance that the new dynasty attributed to the monumental complex and to the city, previously the capital of the Bourbon Kingdom. The throne, with its drum-shaped seat and Empire-style elements that recall the craftsmanship of the Restoration, such as the armrests decorated with imposing winged lions, has an octagonal backrest adorned with studs and classic rosettes, a style that even recalls the throne of Napoleon I.
Article published on May 13, 2025 - 14:37 pm
