In the spring of 1732 Filippo Juvarra sent from Rome an album with 41 Disegni di Prospettiva Ideale meant for August the Strong, prince-elector of Saxony and king of Poland. Bearer of the gift was Antonio Giuseppe Gabaleone Count of Wackerbarth Salmour the Turin nobleman naturalized in Saxony who at that time was in the papal city on a secret mission on the king s behalf. The album preserved in the Kupferstich-Kabinett of Dresden celebrates the exemplarity of Rome over the centuries. Through its themes, its staged compositions, and its graphic technique, an evocative narration unfolds a further confirmation of Juvarra's multifaceted qualities as a great director of the arts. The drawings are here analyzed as a whole for the first time, together with some unpublished letters that help shed light on an artistic exchange involving the courts of Rome, Turin and Dresden. --
