Ca' Rezzonico
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Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia — Ca’ Rezzonico ENG This magnificent palace, now Museum Count Lionello Hirschell de Minerbi, of 18th century Venice, was designed a member of the Italian Parliament, The by the greatest Baroque architect of who, after lengthy and complex the city, Baldassare Longhena for the negotiations, sold it to the Venice Town aristocratic Bon family, and works Council in 1935. Palace. began in 1649. Longhena’s death in — 1682, almost at the same time as that Museum of the 18th Century Venice HISTORY of his noble client, together with the financial problems of the Bon family, After some restoration work, the brought work to a halt, leaving the palace was adapted to serve as the palace incomplete. museum of 18th century Venice and In the meantime, the Rezzonico family opened to the public on April 25th – originally from Lombardy – moved 1936. The designers of the museum to Venice and purchased a title in 1687. layout, Nino Barbantini and Giulio Giambattista Rezzonico, merchant Lorenzetti, aimed to exploit the and banker, bought the palace in 1751 character of Ca’ Rezzonico, arranging and appointed Giorgio Massari, one the works as if they were the palace’s of the most highly esteemed and original furnishings. To achieve eclectic artists of the day, to complete this result, numerous 18th century the works, which proceeded rapidly works that belonged to the other and in 1756 the building was finished. museums of Venice were moved to Ca’ While the magnificent facade on the Rezzonico, together with paintings, Grand Canal and the second floor furnitures, and frescoes from other followed Longhena’s original project, civic-owned buildings and many works Massari was responsible for the purchased for the occasion. audacious inventions towards the rear The final effect was undeniably of the palace: the sumptuous land- striking; the quality of the numerous entrance, the ceremonial staircase works exhibited, together with and the unusual grandiose ballroom the extraordinary quality of the obtained by eliminating the second architecture and the setting, made floor in this portion of the building. As Ca’ Rezzonico a veritable temple soon as the building was completed, of the Venetian 18th century: an the most important painters in Venice age of splendour, dissipation, and were called upon to decorate it: decadence, but undoubtedly one of Giambattista Crosato, who painted the most lively and fertile seasons of the frescoes in the ballroom together modern art in Europe. with the trompe l’oeil painter Pietro — Visconti; Giambattista Tiepolo, who painted two ceilings in celebration of the marriage between Ludovico Rezzonico and Faustina Savorgnan; the young Jacopo Guarana and Gaspare Diziani. The building was fully complete by 1758, when Giambattista Rezzonico’s younger brother, Carlo, Bishop of Padua, was elected Pope under the name Clement XIII: this was the peak of the family’s fortunes and the palace at San Barnaba celebrated the event in grand style. But by 1810 no family members were left. For the palace and its great heritage of art and history this was the beginning of a long, troubled period of sales and dispersions. Stripped of its furnishings, which were subdivided among the heirs and then sold, the palace passed through the hands of various owners in the 19th century; purchased by the English painter, Robert Barrett (“Pen”) Browning, it was used as a Baldassarre Longhena, Ca’ Rezzonico residence by his father, the writer Facade Robert Browning, who died there. It was subsequently taken over by 1 Ferruccio Mestrovich Collection paintings are the result of his research and studies; indeed, his suggestions 0/1. The collection contains a nucleus of and indications have assisted several sixteen paintings, all of high quality. scholars on many occasions in the There are two major works by Iacopo publication of his paintings and other BROWNING Tintoretto, an altar-piece of striking collections. MEZZANINE intensity and an austere portrait. — Particularly noteworthy is a glowing and intimate “Sacra Conversazione” by Bonifacio de’ Pitati; in addition, there are other works by Benedetto Diana, Lelio Orsi, Jacopo Amigoni, Francesco Guardi and Alessandro Longhi, two “soprarchi” (paintings above an arch) by Benedetto Carpaccio, son and follower of Vittore and a small panel by Cima da Conegliano. The Mestrovichs belong to an ancient Dalmatian family originally from Zara and have lived in Venice since 1945. The head of the family, Aldo (1885-1969) was persecuted during the Austrian rule for his Italian patriotism; his assets were confiscated by the Yugoslav Jacopo Amigoni, Portrait of a Young government and never returned. His Woman (the ‘debutante’), oil on canvas son Audace worked for many years in Venice as a lawyer. His youngest son, Ferruccio, a passionate scholar of Ferruccio early Veneto painting, is the donor of Mestrovich Collection this collection: the attributions of the 2 Ballroom arms appears in the gilded drapes at the centre of the main wall. The The grand ballroom of Palazzo two grandiose chandeliers in gilded 1. Rezzonico is markedly original with wood and metal with floral motifs respect to other Venetian buildings. were part of the original furnishings of FIRST Massari created it by eliminating the the palace. Along the walls there are floor of the upper piano nobile and some of the works that the sculptor FLOOR closing an order of windows, thus Andrea Brustolon produced for the doubling the height of the room; it Venier family in the early years of the gives the palace a truly “regal” effect, 18th century. Among these works you and expresses the spirit of the mid- find the so-called Ethiopian Warriors, 18th century. The room itself gives the imposing nudes armed with heavy illusion of being the centre of a much clubs and shown with vividly staring larger space that can be glimpsed eyes in white glass paste; at the feet of beyond the trompe l’oeil architecture each there is a horse’s head. Perhaps painted on the walls. These illusionistic the series – most of the statues are effects were created by Pietro Visconti, Primo piano in the room 10, which is named after a Lombard artist who specialized in 1. Ballroom the sculptor – was inspired by the such works and collaborated with 2. Nuptial Allegory Room Egyptian statues in porphyry and the most famous Venetian “figure” 3. Chapel basalt that Brustolon saw during his painters of the day; the ceiling fresco 4. The Pastel Room time in Rome. is by Giovanni Battista Crosato and 5. Tapestry Room — represents the chariot of Phoebus with 6. Throne Room Nuptial Allegory Room Europe, Asia, America and Africa on 7. Tiepolo Room the four sides. All of these decorations On the ceiling there is the great 8. Passage-way – fully restored in 2000-2001 – refer fresco that gives the room its name. 9. Library to allegorical and celebratory themes It was painted in the winter of 1757 10. Lazzarini Room linked with Apollonian myths: a kind by Giambattista Tiepolo, together 11. Brustolon Room of figurative poem in honour of the with his son Giandomenico and 12. Portego Rezzonico family, whose coat-of- the trompe l’oeil painter Gerolamo 8 9 11 10 7 1 12 2 4 5 6 3 3 Mengozzi Colonna, on the occasion The Pastel Room of the wedding between Ludovico Rezzonico and Faustina Savorgnan. The ceiling-fresco, by the Belluno Against a brilliant sky that opens up painter Gaspare Diziani, dates beyond the false balustrade, four from 1757 and represents Poetry impetuous white horses are pulling surrounded by Painting, Architecture, Apollo’s chariot, which bears the two Music and Sculpture, while a putto, spouses preceded by the blindfolded armed with a torch, is casting out Cupid and surrounded by allegorical ignorance. On the walls are numerous figures. These are Fame, the three portraits in pastel, a technique in which Graces and Wisdom. A bearded old Venetian painters excelled, especially man crowned with laurel (Merit), with Rosalba Carriera, who taught the a Lion at his feet, symbol of the city, skill to French artists during her stay is holding a sceptre and a banner in Paris, 1720-1721. Her activity is Ballroom with the coats-of-arms of the two represented in this room by works families. The solar quality of the light, of high quality, created during the the stupendous symphony of colours 1830s, when Rosalba, in addition to her and the dynamic vigour of the figures capacity to investigate the psychology make this fresco, one of the last works of her subjects, revealed all her artistic painted by Tiepolo in Venice, one of his delicacy and refinement, enlivened greatest masterpieces. The furniture in by a scintillating skill in colours. She the room comprises carved and gilded also painted the two small miniatures pieces that date from the early 18th on ivory, remarkable examples of a century. The walls are hung in modern kind of work to which she devoted red damask and above the table you herself assiduously during the early can find a portrait of Francesco Falier years of the century. The room also in the robes of a Procurator da Mar; it contains works by other painters: was painted by Bernardino Castelli in Gian Antonio Lazzari, traditionally 1786, the year in which the nobleman considered Rosalba’s first master, was elected to this important office. Marianna Carlevarijs, daughter of the Rosalba Carriera, Portrait of a Gentleman, Opposite hangs a small painting by Friulan view-painter Luca, and Lorenzo pastel on paper Pietro Longhi which shows Pope Tiepolo, who painted the fine portrait Clement XIII (Carlo Rezzonico) of Cecilia Guardi Tiepolo (Giambattista granting an audience to his nephews Tiepolo’s wife and sister of Antonio Carlo and Lodovico and his niece and Francesco Guardi), painted in 1757.