Description
Italy, Naples, Rebuilding of the San Carlo Theatre after fire, AE medallion 1817 (37mm.) by Henri Brandt. Façade of theatre, Rev. Interior of theatre. (D’Auria 132: Ricciardi 115).
Good Extremely Fine, lustrous and toning.
The San Carlo theatre was founded through the legacy of Carlo di Borbone and built by Giovanni Antonio Medrano to provide a theatre of 3,000 seats. It was opened on 4 November 1737 but nearly 70 years later, a fire destroyed it on the night of the 13 February 1816. The internal hall was rebuilt in 1817 and the new building restored the previous state of the theatre but with a reduced seating capacity. The new theatre was inaugurated on January 12, 1817 with a performance of the cantata “The dream of Partenope” by Giovanni Simone Mayr.
