Ephemeral Architecture and Painted Architecture: The Reconstruction of Baroque Illusory Space

The object of this study is a group of architectural perspectives painted on the domes and walls of noble palaces in Apulia, in particular that the baronial palace in Botrugno, the Broquier palace in Trani, and the Manes palace in Bisceglie. The perspectives belong to the “Quadratura” genre that developed in Italy and Europe in the Baroque period, but the architectural solutions represented are specific of the Apulian regional context, of Neapolitan derivation, rather than linked to the noble models of the Emilian and Roman master experiences. These architectural perspectives can be considered belonging to that “immaterial cultural heritage,” as defined by the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of 2003, if we consider the cultural significance of these painting representations—as previously mentioned—for their relationship with the 16th-17th century painting season of “Quadratura,” for the massive production of treatises on perspective, as well as for the Baroque experiences and for the tradition in the use of “Festa” ephemeral architectures.