Nederlandse Real Tennis Bond - Sweelinckplein 19-A

Research produces an instant hit, an account of the conti di camera of 1551 for work undertaken by a carpenter at the Vatican's famous Belvedere courtyard: "coritore di Belvedere per farci il giuoco della palla della corda per uso del revine Monti [sic] e vasi grandi da fiori messi sulla terrazzo dal corridore stesso ..". The account records the erection of the wooden galleries alongside the tennis court, which was destined for a new pope, Giulio III del Monte (1550-1555). Large pots with flowers were used to decorate the long terrace of the same corridor of the Cortile del Belvedere. But where exactly was the tennis court situated and how was it linked with the fountain of Parasacchi's engraving? The Belvedere is a large rectangular structure divided into three tiers. It appears that during Julius III's papacy a significant change took place when the Vatican Cleopatra was removed from the Statue Court in the Vatican Belvedere to a niche in the Stanza della Cleopatra constructed at the end of Bramante's eastern corridor incorporated at the same Belvedere. The Stanza's decoration programme served as a platform for Julius III to promote his views concerning the legitimacy and supremacy of the Papacy. The project at this strategic location in the Vatican also included the pope's new private apartments and his tennis court. The interpretation of Parasacchi's engraving now leaves little room for doubt, the tennis court was directly linked to the Stanza della Cleopatra.