ABSTRACT
The capriccio has evolved as a creative means of artistic expression from ancient Roman times until today. The juxtaposition of imagination and reality has captivated artists, architects and their patrons alike from around the world for the inspired and original designs, which have made the capriccio a continuously evolving yet surprisingly enigmatic genre. This chapter provides a genealogy of this unique artistic expression, examining some of the finest extant examples available from works of artists living and working primarily in Italy in the eighteenth century when the capriccio as a genre as we recognize it today came to fruition. The chapter chronicles the development of the genre and brings to life the events that surround it, beginning with the re-discovery of the frescoes on the Esquiline hill in Rome, which set the stage for the imaginative works of fantasy that penetrated society thoroughly from the sixteenth to nineteenth century.
