Palazzo Litta, Milan
Encyclopedia
The Palazzo Litta, also known as the Palazzo Arese-Litta, is a Baroque
structure in Milan
, northern Italy, opposite San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
, and dating from the period of Spanish rule of the city.
Architect Francesco Maria Richini
built the nucleus of the palazzo
in the years 1642–1648 for Count Bartolomeo Arese, a member of one of the most influential Milanese families of the period who became President of the Senate of Milan in 1660. Palazzo Litta thus became an important centre of Milanese fashionable and political culture. Grand parties held here over the years included receptions for Archduchess Mariana of Austria
, for Margaret Theresa of Spain
, for Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
, for Maria Theresa of Austria
, for Eugène de Beauharnais
and for the arrival of Napoleon in Milan.
Apart from its general plan, the principal features which remain essentially intact from the original seventeenth-century building are the piano nobile
(although largely redecorated) and one of Richini’s courtyards. The family oratory
, also the work of Richini, and consecrated in 1671, was later turned into a private theatre for the use of the family and its invitees. The theatre, the oldest in Milan, is still in use as the Teatro Litta di Milano, which also has a second performance space located in the old stable block.
In 1674 the palazzo passed to Bartolomeo’s daughter Margherita, wife of Fabio III Visconti Borromeo Arese; towards the middle of the eighteenth century, when the Arese became extinct in the male line, it was inherited by the Litta
family, whose members were also prominent in the political life of the city.
It was in this period than a number of important changes were made to the building. In 1740 Francesco Merlo built the imposing forked staircase
(a scalone a tenaglia) whose sophisticated curves lead to the apartments of the piano nobile. These too were refurbished in part, a number being decorated with murals by Giovanni Antonio Cucchi. While between 1752 and 1761 Bartolomeo Bolli constructed a new façade for the building, highly decorated in a late Baroque, or Rococò
, manner.
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
structure in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, northern Italy, opposite San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore is a church in Milan, northern Italy. It was originally attached to the most important female convent of the Benedictines in the city, Monastero Maggiore, which is now in use as an archaeological museum...
, and dating from the period of Spanish rule of the city.
Architect Francesco Maria Richini
Francesco Maria Richini
thumb|250px|The inner court of Palazzo Brera in Milan.Francesco Maria Richini was an Italian Baroque architect....
built the nucleus of the palazzo
Palazzo
Palazzo, an Italian word meaning a large building , may refer to:-Buildings:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building**Palazzo style architecture, imitative of Italian palazzi...
in the years 1642–1648 for Count Bartolomeo Arese, a member of one of the most influential Milanese families of the period who became President of the Senate of Milan in 1660. Palazzo Litta thus became an important centre of Milanese fashionable and political culture. Grand parties held here over the years included receptions for Archduchess Mariana of Austria
Mariana of Austria
Mariana of Austria was Queen consort of Spain as the second wife of King Philip IV, who was also her maternal uncle...
, for Margaret Theresa of Spain
Margaret Theresa of Spain
Margaret Theresa of Spain was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess consort of Austria, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia. She was the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and his second wife Mariana of Austria...
, for Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary; and Archduchess of Austria by her marriage to Emperor Charles VI. She was renowned for her delicate beauty and also for being the mother of Empress...
, for Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
, for Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
and for the arrival of Napoleon in Milan.
Apart from its general plan, the principal features which remain essentially intact from the original seventeenth-century building are the piano nobile
Piano nobile
The piano nobile is the principal floor of a large house, usually built in one of the styles of classical renaissance architecture...
(although largely redecorated) and one of Richini’s courtyards. The family oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
, also the work of Richini, and consecrated in 1671, was later turned into a private theatre for the use of the family and its invitees. The theatre, the oldest in Milan, is still in use as the Teatro Litta di Milano, which also has a second performance space located in the old stable block.
In 1674 the palazzo passed to Bartolomeo’s daughter Margherita, wife of Fabio III Visconti Borromeo Arese; towards the middle of the eighteenth century, when the Arese became extinct in the male line, it was inherited by the Litta
Litta
The Litta are a noble Milanese family who produced two cardinals, Alfonso Litta and Lorenzo Litta....
family, whose members were also prominent in the political life of the city.
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
(a scalone a tenaglia) whose sophisticated curves lead to the apartments of the piano nobile. These too were refurbished in part, a number being decorated with murals by Giovanni Antonio Cucchi. While between 1752 and 1761 Bartolomeo Bolli constructed a new façade for the building, highly decorated in a late Baroque, or Rococò
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
, manner.