The only official portrait of the Prince of Naples, future King Vittorio Emanuele III, permanently exhibited in the path of the Royal Palace.
The heir to the throne of the House of Savoy, son of Margherita and Umberto I, is depicted at the age of five on a terrace that opens onto a typical view of the Neapolitan city with the steaming Vesuvius in the background. This traditional representation of the Neapolitan imago urbis becomes a constant in the iconography of the prince, in order to underline his strong political and emotional bond with the city where he was born in 1869.
The boy, with his hair combed "a la Umberto", ie with a short cut inspired by that of his father, and with a frowning expression, wears a dark blue velvet formal dress, with elegant embroidery at the cuffs, neck and knees. In the fashion of the renaissance they also seem to recall the black socks and shoes with decorations on the toe. On the table, covered by a cloth with a Savoy shield, are placed a globe and a map of the United Italy, indicating the prince's studies.
It will be Vittorio Emanuele III who will sell the Royal Palace of Naples to the State Property in 1919.
Title: Portrait of Vittorio Emanuele, prince of Naples as a child
Author: Enrico Marchiani
Date:
Technique: oil painting on canvas
Displayed in: Royal Palace of Naples
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