THE WORKS DISPLAYED

Ducal Festivities

1. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
Presentation of the Doge in St. Mark’s

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1560

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Gherro n. 1002

Print, fourth state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Correr Gr. n. 5049

The series of the Ducal Festivities opens with four scenes dedicated to the ceremonies linked with the election of the doge. In the first plate, here represented by a second- and a fourth-state print, the oldest of the forty-one noblemen who have elected the doge presents him to the populace of the city gathered in the basilica. This was a most solemn ceremony of great symbolic significance. Elected by the will of God, the new doge now swore before God that he would do all in his power to guarantee the Republic peace, prosperity and justice.
In the imposing setting of the basilica, the doge is shown in a pulpit towards the background, on the right; he is not yet wearing the corno, the curved hat that was a badge of his office. In the centre, some arsenalotti, skilled workers from the Venetian Arsenale shipyards, are busy around the pozzetto, the monumental palanquin on which they will subsequently bear the newly-elected doge. The enthusiastic crowds are held back by other arsenalotti with long poles.
The Canaletto drawing that is the basis for this engraving is now in a private collection in Wiltshire, England; a Francesco Guardi painting based on the composition is in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.

2. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge borne on the Pozzetto in St. Mark’s Square

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1568

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe P.D. n. 7184

After the official ceremony of installation in the basilica, the doge mounts the pozzetto and then is borne in triumph by the arsenalotti out into St. Mark’s Square. In the rapid procession around the square, the doge’s bearers clear a way for themselves using long rods, whilst the doge himself scatters specially-minted gold and silver coins to the crowds. For the occasion, the severe architecture of the Procuratie is adorned with tapestries and hangings that enliven the setting.
The original Canaletto drawing is now in the British Museum; the Francesco Guardi painting inspired by the composition is in the Musée de Grenoble.

3. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Coronation of the Doge at the Top of the Giants’ Staircase

copperplate, etching and burin; 448×575 mm
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1569

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Gherro n. 1004

After the procession of the pozzetto came the official coronation, held in the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace. Up to 1485, this ceremony was more reserved and austere, being held within the Sala del Senato; thereafter it became a public event held in a monumental setting – almost as if Venice wished to emulate (and eclipse) the ritual splendour of other Renaissance courts in Italy.
The first doges to be crowned in the imposing setting of the Giants’ Staircase were members of the Barbarigo family; the staircase itself, rich in symbols celebrating Venetian power, had only recently been completed. Here the doge offered his Promissione, an investiture oath in which he promised to be faithful to the laws of the State. Thereafter, he received the camauro, the white cloth headpiece with flaps that hung down over his ears, and the zoia, the ceremonial ducal corno in crimson and gold fabric embellished with precious stones. In this scene he is flanked by dignitaries, whilst various groups of onlookers occupy the space of the courtyard to the side; note the detail in the rendition of their apparel.
The original Canaletto drawing is in a private collection in Wiltshire; a Francesco Guardi painting loosely based on the composition is now in the Louvre, Paris.

4. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge Thanks the Great Council

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1567

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Gherro n. 1005

Print, fourth state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Correr Gr. n. 5050

The concluding moment of the doge’s investiture was his first address to the Great Council, the main body of the State’s legislature. Having offered thanks for his election, the doge symbolically removed his corno, in recognition of the high authority enjoyed by the Council itself. The composition seems to reflect this symbolic message by placing the doge in the background, as primus inter pares in a setting whose very décor – comprising masterpieces of sixteenth-century Venetian painting – is a celebration of the history, power and legendary status of the Republic.
The original Canaletto drawing is in the British Museum, London. The Francesco Guardi painting loosely inspired by the composition is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes.

5. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge Leaves on the Bucintoro for the Ceremony of the ‘Marriage with the Sea’

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1565

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Molin n. 1932

Print, fourth state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Fondo Stampe Fortuny, cartella A/ 43

Following the scenes dedicated to the Coronation, the series continues with the celebrations that were held on Ascension Day, when the ‘Marriage with the Sea’ took place. After Mass at St. Mark’s, the Doge – accompanied by a procession bearing all the symbols of official power in the city – went aboard the Bucintoro, a magnificent ceremonial galley. Moored at the waterfront since the beginning of that day, the galley was linked to the quayside by a boardwalk where the inhabitants of the islands of Povegelia and the Lido paid obeisance to the departing doge. The ceremony itself, in which a ring was cast into the waters just off San Nicolò del Lido, commemorated the departure on Ascension Day in the year 1000 of doge Pietro II Orseolo for a particularly successful campaign in Dalmatia. However, tradition also had it that the ceremony was a privilege vouchsafed to doge Sebastiano Ziani and his successors by pope Alexander III, grateful for Venice’s support in his struggle with the emperor Federico Barbarossa (ultimately resolved by the Treaty of Venice, signed in 1177). Furthermore, one could also see traces in the event of pagan propitiatory rituals and early Christian rituals from the East.
The daring perspective of the composition shows the scene from the Riva degli Schiavoni, where one can easily recognise the eighteenth-century façade of the church of La Pietà. Against a background of festively-decorated boats, the Bucintoro is seen at the start of its journey for the Lido.
The original Canaletto drawing is in the British Museum, London; the Francesco Guardi painting inspired by the composition is in the Louvre, Paris.

6. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Halt of the Doge’s Bucintoro at San Nicolò
Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe P.D. n. 7187

After the ‘Marriage with the Sea’, the Doge’s galley and accompanying vessels return to the church of San Nicolò on the Lido, where Mass is celebrated. This church houses the mortal remains of St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, which had been stolen from Myre of Lycia in 1100 by Venetians returning from the First Crusade. Credited with the power to quell storms, this saint was particularly venerated in Venice, which adopted him as one of its patrons, to stand alongside St Mark and St. Theodore. In fact, the mortal remains of St. Nicholas lie in Bari; those in Venice are of another saint bearing the same name – perhaps St. Nicholas Zio.
After the Mass, the patriarch re-accompanied the doge and his retinue to the Bucintoro, which then brought them back to St. Mark’s. Before returning to the Doge’s Palace, where other ceremonies and banquets would take place, the doge paid a visit to the market traditionally held in St. Mark’s Square on Ascension Day.
The copperplate for this print is now lost, whilst Canaletto’s preparatory drawing is in the National Gallery, Washington DC; Francesco Guardi’s painting based on the composition is in the Louvre, Paris.

7 . A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge Participates in the Celebration of Giovedì Grasso

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1562

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Cicogna n. 9

Giovedì Grasso – the last Thursday of Carnival – was when the city commemorated the 1162 victory of doge Vitale Michiel II over Ulrico, patriarch of Aquileia, who had tried to oppose Venetian dominion in the area of Grado. Having been taken prisoner, the patriarch had to agree to the payment of a symbolic tribute to the victors: twelve large loaves of bread, twelve pigs and one bull; the latter was led ceremonially into St. Mark’s Square where it was then baited and ultimately slaughtered . Over the centuries, the event was one that attracted increasing popular participation, and it was ultimately established as a public festivity in 1550. The celebrations involved the raising in the Piazzetta of what was known as La Macchina, a fully decorated architectural structure that served various functions; it was, for example, the launch pad for a daylight firework display. Around this central component various mobile stages were raised. On these, groups of acrobats completed the Challenges of Hercules, a circus version of the military feats performed by the Venetians in capturing Aquileia; skilled armigers performed a military dance called La Moresca; and a daredevil funambulist swooped over the crowd whilst suspended by a wire from the bell tower (this so-called ‘Flight of the Angel’ was seen as an invocation of peace for the city).
The composition in the print is dominated by the tall and imposing baroque structure of La Macchina, with its three different architectural orders; the structure symbolises the Patriarch’s castle taken by the Venetians and is decorated with the crest of the Mocenigo family (a Mocenigo was doge when the series of prints was being produced). The Doge observes the celebrations from the loggia of his palace. Once again, however, it is the crowds themselves that are the main actor, occupying the raised stands and overflowing into St. Mark’s Square in small groups and knots of vivid and colourful characters.
Canaletto’s preparatory drawing is in a private collection, whilst the associated Francesco Guardi painting is in the Louvre.

8. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge’s Visit to the Church of La Salute

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1561

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Gherro n. 1013

The eighth scene in the series shows the doge’s annual visit to Madonna della Salute, a votive church built to commemorate the end of the great plague of 1630. The construction was an expression of the State’s gratitude for relief from that calamity, as was clear from the first official visit – commonly referred to simply as the andata – which was held in great pomp on 28 November 1631. A powerful combination of religious worship and political devotion to the city, the annual event was one of great popular resonance and would survive the fall of the Venetian Republic.
The engraving shows the doge’s procession about to enter the church, while groups of the faithful flock across the pontoon bridge. The scene is dominated by the beautiful form of Longhena’s church itself, which stands out in majestic clarity against a cold and bright November sky.
The original Canaletto drawing is in a private collection, whilst the related Francesco Guardi painting is in the Louvre.

9. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Ducal Procession on the Feastday of Corpus Christi

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1564

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe P.D. n. 1499

A celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Feast of Corpus Christi was first instituted in Lieges in 1246, being extended to the whole of the Catholic Church by pope Urban IV in 1264. In Venice it was first celebrated in 1295, being ratified as a public festivity by a decree of the Great Council in 1454.
The celebrations involved a procession around St. Mark’s Square, with the monstrance under a baldachin decorated with the crests of the city’s various Scuole Grandi. The event is depicted in a 1496 painting by Gentile Bellini – The Procession in St. Mark’s Square – now in the Accademia Gallery.
Canaletto chooses a rather unusual point of view, looking away from the Basilica, with on the left a temporary structure adorned with fabric, candelabras and laurel festoons; in front of this, the doge in his ceremonial robes advances to meet various figures. The procession with the reliquaries advances under the colonnade to the side of the square, with the city’s townsfolk – some of them clearly distracted by more everyday matters – scattered across the foreground.
The original Canaletto drawing is in the collection of Baron de Rothschild in Paris, whilst the related Francesco Guardi painting is in the Louvre.

10. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge Visits San Zaccaria on Easter Sunday

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1563

Print, second state
etching and burin; 526×651
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe P.D. n. 7185

Another ducal visit, this time to a place of religious worship that was closely connected with the city’s ruling aristocracy. In fact, San Zaccaria – where the doge heard Vespers on Easter Sunday – was where those daughters of the Venetian nobility who had taken the veil served their novitiate. Various reasons have been advanced for this particular ritual, the most convincing seeing it as linked with the fact that the doge himself was patron of the church, which had been built at the behest of doge Giustiniano Particiaco in 827. However, the visit may also have been held to venerate the reliquaries donated to the abbess Agnesina Morosini in 855 by pope Benedict III. Other explanations see it as linked with the annual donation of a richly adorned ducal corno; as connected with the gift of precious stones for the zoia by the sister of Caterina Cornaro, a nun at San Zaccaria; or again as a form of tribute to the nuns for ceding a plot of land next to St. Mark’s Square so that the extension work desired by doge Sebastiano Ziani might be carried out.
Whatever the original reason, the visit became an annual custom, with the ducal procession passing through the streets to the church, where prayers were offered for indulgence. Against the background of the majestic Renaissance façade, one sees the doge and the six canons who accompanied him preceded by the various badges of ducal office (including the precious zoia).
Canaletto’s original drawing is in the British Museum, London, and the related Francesco Guardi painting is in the Louvre, Paris.

11. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
The Doge’s Reception of Ambassadors in the Sala del Collegio

copperplate, etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, cl. XXXIII n. 1566

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Cicogna n. 243

One of the doge’s most solemn functions was the official reception of ambassadors, papal nuncios and legates. The room within the Doge’s Palace where this ceremony was held was the Sala del Collegio, which housed the meetings of one of the highest organs of state power. The entire decoration of the room was a celebration of the Venetian Republic, a feature that is duly recorded in this illustration: the doge and dignitaries are shown sitting against the end wall under Veronese’s Sebastiano Venier pays Homage to Our Lord for the Battle of Lepanto. The space is constructed with particular perspective rigour, and on the main wall to the right one can see a free rendition of the Tintoretto canvases that hung there. From the wide windows on the left, warm light floods the scene; the engraver’s skilful use of an engraving wheel enables him to render the shadows with special efficacy. In the foreground are a number of Venetian noblemen whose faces are hidden behind the traditional bauta mask.
Canaletto’s preparatory drawing is now lost, whilst the related Francesco Guardi painting can be seen in the Louvre, Paris.

12. A. Canal, G.B. Brustolon
A Ducal Banquet

Print, second state
etching and burin
Venice, Museo Correr, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Stampe Molin n. 1935

The cycle ends with a moment of conviviality. Held to accompany all the most important events in Venetian public life, such banquets were magnificent affairs that followed a strict ceremonial. On various occasions, the doge would play host to foreign ambassadors and the highest-ranking state officials – for example, the Feastday of St. Mark, Ascension Day, St. Stephen’s Day, etc. From the seventeenth century onwards, these banquets were held in a specially-built Banqueting Hall, constructed at the behest of doge Antonio Priuli in the wing of the palace that was subsequently absorbed into the Patriarch’s residence.
In 1763 radical restoration work had to be carried out on the Hall, which was not in use again until 1768 – that is, after the publication of the first of this series of Canaletto engravings.
The print shows the hall with its tripartite eighteenth-century ceiling frescoed by Giacomo Guarana, whilst the decoration of the walls is still incomplete. The central perspective adopted means the composition can offer a full account of the hall and guests, with the doge shown centre background; in the foreground are groups of noblemen wearing the bauta (up to the second course, such figures were allowed into the hall to admire the magnificent silver- and tableware).
Both the original drawing and the copperplate of this last engraving have been lost. The related painting by Francesco Guardi is in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes.

Documents

I.Pietro Gradenigo
Notarial Document.
Lodovico Furlanetto, a merchant in copperplate prints at Ponte de’ Baretteri and a scholar of events to be preserved for future ages in faithful depictions thereof, conceived the idea of drawings and engravings, commissioned from Antonio Canaletto and Giovanni Brustolon, to show the feasts annually held in Venice with great pomp.
His Most Serene Excellency the Doge, appearing before the people after his election.
The Doge himself borne aloft around St. Mark’s Square and throwing coins to the populace.
The Coronation at the top of the Giants’ Staircase, which is in the Courtyard of the Doge’s Palace.
The Majestic Festivity of Ascension Day, with the journey in the Bucintoro to the Lido and the Sea.
The Landing of His Excellency and the Procession to San Nicolò.
The ancient customs of Giovedì Grasso [the last Thursday of Carnival] in the presence of his Excellency.
The Solemn Procession for the Devout Feast of Corpus Christi.
The Journey over the Votive Bridge to the Temple of Santa Maria della Salute.
Each sheet will sell at the price of 4 lire.
Venezia, Biblioteca Museo Correr, ms. Gradenigo-Dolfin, 67/ 16, c.53

II.“Corriere Letterario”, 18 October 1766
VENEZIA.
Lodovico Furlanetto, a copperplate print merchant in Venice, has published his catalogue of forthcoming works, announcing to the public a work of twelve imperial-size sheets for which he is at present having the drawings and engravings prepared; they depicit the most magnificent public functions held in Venice. The draughtsman is the famous Antonio Canaletto, and the engraver the skilled Giovanni Brustolon.
Venezia, Biblioteca Museo Correr, Gior. F 7/ 2

III. Pier-Jean Mariette
Letter to Tommaso Temanza, 12 January 1768
I have been sent from Venice the first two of a series of twelve pieces depicting the various official functions involving the doge, which have been engraved to drawings by Canaletto. They seem to me to be more interesting than well-executed; but that does not mean that I would happily part with them.
Venezia, Biblioteca Museo Correr, Epistolario Moschini, ad vocem “Mariette” n. 4

IV.Pier-Jean Mariette
Letter to Tommaso Temanza, 18 June 1768
I have received the first three prints of the various official functions involving the doge, and I am of the same opinion as yourself; I find them coarsely engraved, without finesse. The only interest lies in the subject matter itself.
Venezia, Biblioteca Museo Correr, Epistolario Moschini, ad vocem “Mariette” n. 6

eighteenth-century.
Camera obscura
Wood, mirror and frosted glass
Inv. Cl. XXIX S. N. 30
As the inscription “A. CANAL” on the lid shows, this camera obscura actually belonged to Canaletto.
The instrument is made up of a wooden box complete with lens, reflecting surface and a screen of frosted glass.
The lens is mounted at the end of a pyramidal protuberance on the front side of the box. This comprises a cardboard tube (around 9 centimetres in length) with at the front end a wooden socket holding a converging lens, a second ring of wood to fix the lens in place and a wooden lens cap. Inside the box, the inverted image cast by the lens falls on a mirror inclined at 45°, which reflects a corrected image onto the frosted-glass screen. The upper surface of the screen is smooth, so that the image can be traced onto fine or semi-transparent paper placed upon it. The sharpness of the image was guaranteed by the adjustable lens and the hood-like cover that excluded light.
Employed by various Dutch artists, such as Jan Vermeer and Gaspare Vanvitelli, the camera obscura would in the hands of Canaletto become one of the main tools used by the so-called Vedutisti.
It was only at the beginning of the nineteenth century that Joseph Nicéphore’s experiments with this instrument would lead towards the development of the modern camera.