View of the Galleria del Daniel

During his fifty-year reign (1680-1730) Vittorio Amadeo II transformed Turin, the second royal residence on Italian soil after Naples, into one of the most splendid Baroque cities in Europe. In 1584 he started the enlargement of the palace known as the Palazzo Reale. The additions to the palace were patterned after the models of French court architecture, but for the wall decorations he looked for Italian painters.

The gallery of the east wing served as the official entr�e to the chambers of Vittorio Amadeo II. It was painted by Daniel Seiter, and the room was later named after him. The main subject of the ceiling is the Apotheosis of a Hero (Vittorio Amadeo II). The centre section depicts a theatrically posed young man in the presence of Jupiter, who by presenting him with a golden apple promises a royal future for his family. The young man, though dressed in the manner of a classical hero, is generally thought to represent Vittorio Amadeo II.

The centre picture is framed by two tall ovals in which Seiter depicted Apollo in Triumph over Night, and Venus on a Triumphal Chariot. Cartouche-shaped monochromes link the heavy gold frames of the ovals with the border area.

With its synthesis of prominent recent Roman precedents, Seiter’s ceiling set a new standard for further decorations at the court in Turin.