Gardens. The art of experiencing nature in the 18th century

The exhibition offers an evocative stroll through the gardens of the 18th century, an era in which the relationship between humankind and nature gave rise to extraordinary landscape designs, experienced on a daily basis for leisure or for work. Through a refined selection of drawings, botanical tables e engravings, the exhibition traces the evolution of taste and social customs throughout the century. It begins with the geometric rigour of the Italian garden, a model of power widespread throughout Europe – evoked here by the architectural design of the Savoy royal residences described by Antonio de Pienne –, before going on to explore the symbolic dimension of green spaces in the 18th-century theatre, as documented by the exquisite set designs by Filippo Juvarra and the brothers’ Bernardino and Fabrizio Galliari for the court theatres of Turin.

The exhibition explores the complex hydraulic engineering and levelling works required to create these man-made spaces, as in Juvarra’s monumental project for the Luigi Mansi’s villa a Segromigno. The engravings by Ignazio Sclopis Instead, they depict social life in the open air, with concerts and games in the park at Stupinigi. The journey concludes with a shift towards the romantic sensibility of the English-style garden theorised by Francesco Bettini, the exotic fascination with the Chinese gardens of Qing dynasty and the scientific research documented by the Count’s exquisite botanical watercolours Lorenzo Freylino. To enhance the experience, visitors will be able to admire the refurbishment of the nearby Fabric Room with the exhibition White female, dedicated to fifty rare textile artefacts from the museum’s collections.