DESCRIPTION OP TUB YIEW MESSRS. BARKER AND BURFORD, FROM THE PIAZZA DI S. MARCO : WITH % &epr*gentatfon of tf)t ©artttoal; NOW EXHIBITING IK THEIR PANORAMA, STRAND. LOS DON: PRINTED BY JAS.-VV. AND CHAS. ADI.ARD, 23, BARTUOLOMEW-CtOSK WEST SMITIIF1ELD. 1819 . [Price Sixpence.] Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Getty Research Institute https://archive.org/details/descriptionofvie01bark DESCRIPTION OF THE 1 VIEW OF VENICE. v Venice, though one of the most magnificent cities in Europe, with regard to its public build¬ ings, and the many splendid palaces it contains, is, nevertheless, totally without that great con¬ venience and ornament,—a wide street: the canals even, except the principal one, which runs through the city in a serpentine form, are generally extreme¬ ly narrow. Such communications as are called streets, are little better than lanes, many of them being only seven or eight feet wide: this close manner of building left very little choice in selecting a point from whence a good view of the interior of Venice could be obtained, crowded and confused as it is. On the grand canal, or from the Piazza di S. Marco, the view is more open than in any other part of the city ; but the former contains little of a sufficiently interesting nature to make a panorama of,—even if taken near the celebrated Rialto , # a marble bridge of one arch, ninety feet wide, which, although important in Venice, appears insignificant when compared to those of London. The latter situation, on the contrary, combines an assemblage of the finest * A view of this bridge has been introduced on a piece of tapestry, hung over the balcony on the left of the Clock Tower. A buildings immediately in the foreground, with a pleasing view of the more distant objects. The present subject, therefore, was taken from that point: yet it is to be regretted, that, notwith¬ standing the frequency of canals in every part of the city, amounting to four hundred, not one can be seen from the Place of St. Mark, owing to the height of the houses and their being so close together. The spectator is so placed as to have an elevated view of the whole square, the Ducal Palace, and Piazetta, with a minute representa¬ tion of the church of St. Mark, a structure as extraordinary in its form and architectural arrangement, as costly in the materials employed in its decoration. To give an additional interest to the picture, a representation of the gay scene of the Carnival has been introduced, where quack- doctors, mountebanks, processions, and a masked population, amusing themselves in various ways, form the principal subject of the fore-ground. The city of Venice is entirely surrounded by water, which flows from the Adriatic over exten¬ sive shoals, called the Lagune : in many parts the depth is not more than two or three feet; but that varies with the tide, which, at Venice, rises about two feet. Numerous islands, covered with beautiful churches and other buildings, give the appearance of considerable magnitude to Venice, when seen from the water; but the city itself is not of great extent. It contained, previous to the late revolution, a population of about 150,000 souls: this number, however, seems to have very much decreased since that event. The inhabitants are well supplied with provisions of every description, from the opposite shores : however, in the event of a dry season, they are frequently in want of fresh wafer; and, in such cases, are obliged to have it brought in large 6 boats from the river Brenta, which flows into the Adriatic, on the west side. There being no springs in Venice, the wells are filled with rain¬ water from the roofs of houses: the water is puri¬ fied by passing* through sand and charcoal, with which the wells are supplied, at the expeuce of the Municipality. St. Mark’s Place is an irregular quadrangle: the south range of buildings (No. 10), called the Procuratie Nuove, was built by Sansovino, upon a model by Scamozzio; it was begun in the year 1583, and, when finished, was occupied, in the time of the republic, by the Procuratori di S. Marco ,—officers next in dignity to the Doge. At present, it is inhabited by the Austrian Governor ; and contains some of the public offices. The west side (No. 14,) was built by the French after the revolution ; it contains the grand entrance of state, and ball-room erected upon the site of the church of St. Geminiano, ordered to be pulled down by Bonaparte for that purpose. The north side of the Place (No. 24,) is called the Procuratie Vecchie, and is much older than the opposite side: private individuals inhabit this range. One con¬ tinued arcade runs round these three sides of the Place, containing shops of all descriptions, and several coffee-houses. Here the scene is particu¬ larly brilliant in the evening, it being the princi¬ pal promenade, and generally crowded with well dressed persons of the city, as also strangers of every nation ; among whom, numerous Turks, Greeks, and Algerines, in rich costume, give a pleasing variety to this Palais Royal of Venice. Several of the coffee-houses have temporary marquees erected in front of them, to accommo¬ date the company, who are constantly amused by itinerant musicians, both vocal and instrumental, playing and singing at intervals. 6 The principal entrance to the Piazza di S. Marco is on the north side, under the Clock Tower, seen at No. 35. This tower contains an astronomical clock, in which the earth is the centre, the sun moving round it, with the moon shewing her phases: the signs of the zodiac are also represented, but their order is reversed. Above the clock are gilt figures of the Virgin and Child ; over them is a winged lion, holding a book, on which is the following inscription: “Pax tibi Marce Evangelis la metis"* The tower is terminated with a bell and two colossal bronze figures which strike the hour and quarters. The east side of St. Mark’s Place is occupied by the church of St. Mark, and a small square, (No. 42,) called the Place of Flowers, it being the flower market. The pavement of this square is elevated in the centre to protect a well,—one of those which supply the city with rain-water: in front are two lions, sculptured in beautiful red marble, brought from the island of Zea, in the Archipelago. They were placed to commemorate the discovery of a plot to destroy the republic. The conspiracy was headed by one Baramonte Tripolo, who had ordered a meeting of the con¬ spirators in this square : the noise occasioned by the sudden assemblage of such a number of per¬ sons, made the inhabitants run to their windows to ascertain the cause, when a woman, hastily opening hers, accidentally threw down a flower¬ pot, which, falling upon the head of Tripolo, killed him on the spot. The conspirators, seeing * There is a tradition that, near the spot where the church of St. Francesco della Vigna now stands, St. Mark stopped on his way from Aquilla to Rome, when he was accosted by an angel in the words of this inscription; and, in consequence, they were adopted as the motto of Venice. 4 7 their chief tall, as they considered by the interpo¬ sition of Providence, were struck with terror, and instantly dispersed without further attempting the object of their meeting. Opposite the church of St. Mark are three very lofty flag-staffs, upon beautifully-wrought bronze bases : they were placed to represent the three kingdoms of Cyprus, Candia, and the Morea, conquered by the Venetians. During the repub¬ lic, the flags of those places were hoisted upon days of public festival. The Piazzetta is an open space, running from St. Mark’s to the water. On the east side is the Ducal Palace (No. 5), a Gothic structure of great extent; containing many splendid apartments, filled with a profusion of fine paintings, by Paolo Veronese, Tintoretto, and other celebrated mas¬ ters of the Venetian school. The officers of the police department are in this building, and the Austrian main-guard is stationed in that part of it called the Broglio (No. 4) ; where, during the republic, the senators and nobles assembled to converse upon public business at a particular hour in the day, at which time all other persons were prohibited from coming near them. Opposite to the Ducal Palace stands what was the Public Library (No. 8) ; a beautiful building, of "one story, raised upon an arcade, and ornamented with white marble statues on the parapet. Behind this building, but intercepted by it in the view, is the Zecca, or mint, which fronts the water. The two columns (No. 6 ,) are of Pgyptian granite; they were brought from Greece about the year 120b with a third, which fell into the water, and, from want of power to raise it at the time, became buried in mud, so as to be now entirely lost. These two columns are at the en¬ trance of the Piazetta, next the water: on one 8 stands a winged lion, in bronze; on the other, a bronze statue of St, Theodore standing upon a crocodile. The lion was removed by the French, and placed upon the Hospital of Invalids, at Paris, but was restored to Venice with the cele¬ brated horses. During the republic, criminals condemned to suffer death were executed between the columns. (No. 9,) the Campienello, or bell- tower of St. Mark’s, is removed from the church,— a circumstance very common in Italy. Its height is 300 feet, from the base to the angel upon the pinnacle and, though built so far back as the year 1148, upon a swampy foundation, it has been so admirably constructed as to have stood unmoved, or in the slightest degree losing its upright position. The ascent to the bells is by means of inclined planes, with a step at each an¬ gle ; and is very gentle. From the gallery above is one of the most extensive views imaginable : here Venice appears in all its grandeur, spread like a map, surrounded by the Lagune, studded with islands in every direction, and bounded on the North by the Tyrol Alps, whose chain, extending to the East, melts away, and is lost in the atmos¬ phere. On the South is the Adriatic; and, in the West are seen the dark blue hills near Padua; the whole forming a coup d'ceil , which, though not calculated for a picture, from its extent, is nevertheless of exquisite beauty, and should be seen by all who visit this interesting city. At the base of the Campienello, fronting St. Mark’s, is the Logetta, (No. 7,)—a small, but beautiful, building, constructed of the finest marble, erected by Sansovino. In it the Avogadorc (one of the Council of Ten,) used to sit, and receive claims * From the great height of the tower, it was impossible to introduce the pinnacle and angel in the picture; but they are represented complete in the explanatory plate. 9 upon the government, &c. It is now the place where the lottery is drawn. No. 1, the Ducal Church of St. Mark , Is become the principal church of the city : it was formerly only that of the palace. This church was begun in the year 829 ; but, being de¬ stroyed by fire, was rebuilt in 976 . The interior is entirely covered with Mosaic pictures, in coloured glass, on a gold ground ; the altars and columns are of the richest marbles, as also the tessellated pavement: these decorations were finished in 1071, and are in lavish profusion. The front of the exterior is formed of ten arches, five above, and five below; the lower ones are supported by two rows of columns, amounting to 292 in num¬ ber ; some are of porphyry, others of verd- antique , and the remainder of costly marble,—all trophies of the Venetian conquests in Greece, Egypt, and the Holy Land. The upper centre arch is terminated by a colossal statue of St. Mark ; and, over the lower one, stand the celebrated Grecian horses, made of Corinthian brass, said to be the work of Lysippus, but that is now very much doubted. Little is known, with certainty, where these horses were placed in Rome; it is supposed, they were successively upon the trium¬ phal arches of Augustus, of Domitian, of Trajan, and of Constantine. This latter emperor caused them to be transported to Constantinople, with the chariot of the sun, and placed them in the Hypo- drome ; in which place they remained till the Ve¬ netians captured that city, in the year 120b, when the horses were removed to Venice, where they stood over the grand entrance of St. Mark’s nearly 600 years. In 1797, they were taken by the French to Paris; but, in 1815, were restored 10 to the Venetians, who replaced them in their for¬ mer situation. The outside of St. Mark’s is cu¬ riously cased with marble. The pictures under the arches are executed in Mosaic, similar to those in the interior. In the same year (829,) that this church was begun, the body of St. Mark was brought to Venice, from Alexandria, in Egypt, by two merchants, named Bono and Rustico, who contrived to convey the Saint, concealed in a basket, covered with fish. Upon this great ac¬ quisition, the Venetians declared St. ( Mark the patron and protector of the Republic. The lion is supposed to represent this evangelist, from the mystic vision of Ezekiel ; and, in consequence, has been placed on its towers and standards.* No. 2, Pietro dei Bondo , A short porphyry column, at the corner of St. Mark’s. On this pillar, the commandadore of a tribunal announced the banishment of any of the nobles who were condemned to that punishment by the Republic. No. 5, Church of St. Georgio Maggiorc , On the island of that name, now the Porto-Franco. This church, built by Palladio, begun in 1556, is one of the most beautiful in Venice, and is best placed to ornament the city. The fine picture of the Marriage of Canaan, by Paolo Veronese, was taken from the refectory of the convent at- * The winged lion was formerly placed upon every building belonging to government, as also upon St. Mark’s, where (ho plaster is seen broken, in the upper centre arch ; but the French removed all those emblems cjf the Republic, when they took possession of Venice. 1 he only one that has been re¬ stored is upon the ClockTower, over the entrance to St. Mark’s Place. * tached to the church ; and, in this church, Pope Pius VII. was elected, when the French had pos¬ session of Rome. No. 11 , Dome of II Redent ore alia Giudecca. The island on which it is situated is called Giu¬ decca, from its having been the place of residence for the Jews. It is of considerable extent, but cannot be seen in this view, being intercepted by the Procuratie Nuove. No. 12 , Domes of Santa Maria della Salute, A splendid edifice, built near the entrance of the grand canal, in pursuance of a vow made by the senate, during the plague, in 1630, to erect a tem¬ ple to her glory ; hoping thereby to stop that dreadful calamity. It contains several fine pic¬ tures by Titian. No. 19 , Church of St. Sebastiano , Celebrated as being almost entirely decorated from the pencil of Paolo Veronese, whose remains are here deposited. No. 21 , Santa Maria Glorioso dei Frari, Built by Nicolas Pisano, about the year 1400. Titian, who died of the plague in 1376, aged 99, was buried in this church. No. 39, S. S. Giovanni e Paolo , A Gothic structure, contains, among many fine paintings, the celebrated Martyrdom of St. Peter the Dominican, by Titian, which was removed by the French, and placed in the gallery of the Lou¬ vre, but was restored to Venice in 1815. Adjoining this church is a fine building, called the School of St. Mark’s ; opposite which, is an equestrian sta¬ tue, in bronze, of Bartolomeo Coleone de Ber¬ gamo, general of the Venetian troops, who died jn 1475. This is the only equestrian statue in Venice. In terminating this description of the View of Venice, it may be interesting to observe, that the Venetians always planted the Lion of St. Mark wherever they made a conquest; this practice was ridiculed by the other Italian States, who called them the Pianta Leone; and a noble Venetian was generally represented, in Italian pantomime, under that name, which, in time, became cor¬ rupted into Pantaloon. This is the origin of the grotesque old man introduced in pantomimes of (he present day. THE END. Jas.-yV. anJ Chaa^ Adlard, Printer*, 23, Bartholomew Close. EXPLANATION of the VIEW of VENICE, exhibiting in the PANORAMA, STRAND. 38. School of St. Mark. 39* S. S. Giovanni et Paolo. 40. Santa Maria Formosa. 41. St. Francisco della. Vigna: the Island of Burano is seen on the left, in the distance. 42. Place of Flowers. To the left of the number is the Church of St. Basso, not now made use of. 43. St. Antonino, and St. Georgio di Greci. 1. 2 . 3. Church of St. Mark. Pietro del Rando. Ducal Palace. 4. Broglio, and Austrian Main Guard. 5. Church of St. Georgio Maggiore. 6. Egyptian Columns in the Piazzetta. 7- Loggetta. 8. Public Library. 9. Campienello, or Bell Tower of St. Mark’s. 10. Procuratie Nuovi. 11. Church of II Redentore alia Giudecca 12. Church of Santa Maria della Salute. 13. Church of St. Moise. 14. Entrance to the Ball Room. 15. Church of Santa Agnesa ; to the right is the Palace Cornar. 16 . Church of St. Via and Santa Margheritta ; to the left is St. Trovaso. 17. Church of St. Stefano. ; 18. Church of St. Nicolo de Tolen- tino; in the distance are the Hills near Padua. 19* Santa Maria del Carmine, St. Tomaso and St. Sebastiano. 20. St. Panlaleone. 21. Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. 22. La Scala. 23. St. Simeon. 24. Procuratie Vecchie. Primed by Jas.-W. aud Clias. Adlard, 2b, Bartliolowew-uiose. 25.,St. Geramia. 26'. Palace Grimani, now the Post- office. 27* St. Simeon Piccolo, built by Palladio: underneath is seen the Theatre of St. Lucca. 28. St. Fosca, and St. Marcuolo. 29- St. Silvester, and St. Aponal. 30. Santa Lucia, aud St. Jeramia. 3!. St. Mathieu. 32. St. Salvador. 33. St. Eustachio. 34. St. Bartolameo. 35. Clock-Tower, and Entrance St. Mark’s Place. 36. Church of the Jesuiti. 37. Church of the Miracoli. to i