In the drawing
of the apartment of Charles III of Bourbon conserved at the State Archives,
the room now known as the Watercolor Room is indicated as the Duke's Cabinet
d'étude.
It is therefore likely that the elegant
wooden ceiling that covers it was made, like that of the previous room,
around the middle of the 19th century.
On the walls are watercolors by Italian,
French and German painters of the 19th century. Most of them
are rather small and generally depict landscapes, urban views or ruins,
or simple scenes.
It is believed that at least some of
these watercolors were purchased by Maria Luigia herself during some of
her trips away from the Parmesan states, as souvenirs of the places visited,
meant to be hung on the walls of the private rooms of the duchess's homes.
The duchess made many trips, sometimes
for pleasure, often for family reasons or reasons of health, occasionally
for reasons of state. Every year, from June to September, she vacationed
in Austria where she arrived along different itineraries. She definitely
visited Switzerland twice, and once traveled the entire length of the
Italian peninsula to visit Palermo. She visited Tuscany several times,
the Piedmont region and Venice.
The tables at the center of the room
hold drawings by Italian authors of the 18th and 19th centuries.
|
|

 |
 |
|
Anonymous:
- Study for a group portrait |
F.G.
Moritz - Piazza della Signoria in Florence |
|
|