Size definitely mattered La Serenissima (the Most Serene Republic of Venice), long the center of a maritime empire. Look no further than the enormous Palazzo Ducale (or Doge's Palace) for proof.
Statues of Mars and Neptune flank the Giant Staircase, below a winged lion, the city's symbol. It probably was a mistake to tour the palace in complete ignorance but a thousand years of complex history that begins in the Byzantine era would have been intimidating even if I weren't jet-lagged. Like David Bowie sang in "Five Years," "my brain hurt like a warehouse with no room to spare." In retrospect, I was grateful that the "Secret Itineraries" tour had been fully booked.
Lack of space didn't factor into the construction of the current iteration of the palace which dates back to the Renaissance. Imagining how many artisans it took to decorate this curved ceiling (one of many) is a little like asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
Tintoretto painted some of the walls in the Senate Room, where as many as 300 select nobles met to run the empire and elect the doge. The religious imagery in his work may have suggested an equivalence between the Venetian Senate and the Vatican conclave, competing centers of Renaissance power.
A 19th century painting hanging in the palace commemorates the dissolution of the Senate in 1797. Senators, like Cardinals, dressed in red. He's descending the Giant Staircase, shown above.
 |
| "The Last Senate of the Republic of Venice" by Vittorio Emanuele Bressanin (ca 1887) |
When I decided this limestone window would make a great photo frame, I didn't realize I was inside the Bridge of Sighs, named for the reactions of convicts who looked through it just prior to their imprisonment centuries ago.
Here's how the bridge looks at night from the outside.
Venetian nobles at least 25 years old convened in the Chamber of the Great Council. One of the largest rooms in Europe, it could accommodate a crowd of two thousand people when doges were crowned.
Although the election of doges gave the republic a veneer of democracy, they still took their family trees very seriously. Francesco Foscari, the 65th doge, served longer than any other, from 1423 until his death in 1457. That's more than five times longer than any U.S. President . . . to date.
Tintoretto's "Il Paradiso," the world's largest oil painting adorns one wall, here juxtaposed with another elaborate ceiling.
Adam and Eve, flank the Shield Bearer, at the opposite end of the chamber. Antonio Rizzo sculpted all three in the mid-15 century for the palazzo's exterior facade. He designed the Grand Staircase, too.
I was surprised to find a painting by Hieronymus Bosch on display. I find the scale and strangeness of his imagination much more appealing than many of the palace's much larger works where Biblical narratives and politics carry as much weight as aesthetics.
 |
| "Apocalyptic Vision" (late 15th century) |
The Basilica di San Marco, which once served as the doge's "chapel," can be seen across the palace courtyard.
The palace joins the basilica at this junction. There's hardly a facade in Venice that doesn't inspire awe.
No comments:
Post a Comment