Portuguese Patronage in Rome and the Economics of Magnificence: La Virtù negl’amori by Alessandro Scarlatti at the Teatro Capranica (1721)

The election in 1721 of Michelangelo Conti, former apostolic nuncio in Lisbon, as Pope Innocent XIII was seen by King John V as an opportunity to elevate the prestige of the Portuguese monarchy in Rome. Thus, to celebrate the solenne possesso of the new Pope, the ambassador of Portugal, Andre de Melo e Castro, decided to transform the pastoral La virtù negl’amori, by Alessandro Scarlatti – initially commissioned as a chamber cantata – into an operatic spectacle at the Teatro Capranica featuring Francesco Bibiena’s scenography, stage machinery, lavish costumes and ballets. This decision involved higher costs according to the magnificence of the occasion and the usages of Rome. Unpublished sources from the Biblioteca da Ajuda in Lisbon bring to light most of the expenses with artists and artisans, goods and services. This essay analyses these data within the context of Roman society to investigate the economics of magnificence in the field of the performing arts and the spending models adopted by aristocrats and diplomats in the Eternal City in the early eighteenth century.