Carlo III di Borbone visiting the Pope Benedetto XIV in the coffee-house of the Quirinale, Rome

Painted in 1746, this canvas at the Museo di Capodimonte documents the visit of Carlos III of Bourbon — newly crowned King of the Two Sicilies — to Pope Benedict XIV at the Quirinal Palace in Rome. The meeting was a significant diplomatic event: the young king, who would later rule Spain as Charles III, was making a formal courtesy call on the head of the Catholic Church within the informal context of the coffee house on the Quirinal grounds, a choice of venue that balanced protocol with relaxed elegance. Panini was the logical choice to record the event given his established role as documenter of Roman ceremonial life. The Capodimonte canvas is one of a pair with the companion scene of the same king visiting Saint Peter's Basilica, together forming a record of Charles's Roman visit.

The coffee house setting gave Panini the unusual challenge of depicting an intimate interior rather than the grand ceremonial halls he typically painted. He responded by constructing a compact but architecturally elegant space, with figures arranged informally around the royal and papal protagonists in a manner that suggests relaxed conversation rather than ceremonial stiffness.