View of the Piazza San Marco (Primary Title)
Piazza San Marco (Former Title)
Francesco Guardi, Italian, 1712 - 1793 (Artist)
The Piazza San Marco (or Saint Mark’s Square) had
been Venice’s political and religious center since before
the Middle Ages. The painter’s east-facing perspective
includes the monuments that enclose the square
on three sides. Its eastern end is dominated by Saint
Mark’s Basilica, a cathedral church built in the
Byzantine period to serve as the state sanctuary and
site of official religious and civic ceremonies. The
basilica was attached to the Doge’s Palace, depicted
to its right. Obscuring the gothic-style facade of the
palace is the freestanding tower of the campanile,
a bell tower that had stood in the piazza since the 12th
century. The three-story arcades of the Procuratie
Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove (the old and new
procuracies, respectively) extend along the north and
south sides of the square. These were the offices and
residences of high officers of state in the days of the
republic. Fashionably dressed members of the city’s
upper class stroll around the square, enjoying the fine
weather of a late afternoon. This seat of Venice’s ruling
elite contrasts with the mixing of social classes in
Guardi’s canal views.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
The Pageant of Venice: Art and Music in the Golden Age of Serenissima, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada, October 7, 2013 - February 9, 2014; Portland Art Museum, Portland, ME, March 7 - June 8, 2014
From La Serenissima to the Eternal City: The Grand Tour in 18th Century Venice and Rome, Mitchell Gallery, St. Johns College, Annapolis, MD, March 14 - April 23, 2010
Painting in Italy in the Eighteenth Century: Rococo to Romanticism, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, September 19 - November 1, 1970; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN, November 24, 1970 - January 10, 1971; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, February 7 - March 21, 1971
I Guardi, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy, June 5 - October 10, 1965
Significant Forms: The Changing Character of Western Art, Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA, July 8 - September 25, 1961
Guardi in American, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, January 14 - February 16, 1958
Trends in Painting: 1600-1800, Alright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, October 2 - November 3, 1957
From La Serenissima to the Eternal City: The Grand Tour in 18th Century Venice and Rome, Mitchell Gallery, St. Johns College, Annapolis, MD, March 14 - April 23, 2010
Painting in Italy in the Eighteenth Century: Rococo to Romanticism, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, September 19 - November 1, 1970; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN, November 24, 1970 - January 10, 1971; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, February 7 - March 21, 1971
I Guardi, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy, June 5 - October 10, 1965
Significant Forms: The Changing Character of Western Art, Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA, July 8 - September 25, 1961
Guardi in American, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, January 14 - February 16, 1958
Trends in Painting: 1600-1800, Alright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, October 2 - November 3, 1957
Collection of Princess Mathilde Bonaparte [1820-1904]; (Georges Petit, Paris) by 1904. Collection of Princess Murat, Paris. [1] Mont, Oppenheimer-Sontag by 1952. [2] (Newhouse Galleries, New York) by 1953; Purchased by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond, Virginia in November of 1953. [3]
[1] Unconfirmed as to which Princess Murat this refers. Possibly Eugenie Murat [1855-1934], Anne Murat [1863-1940] or Marguerite Muras [1886-1956].
[2] Handwritten on VMFA object card. No other record. Provenance details from Newhouse Galleries, New York, indicate that they received the painting from Princesse Murat. See VMFA Registration file and VMFA Curatorial file.
[3] Accessioned November 30, 1953. See VMFA Curatorial file.
[1] Unconfirmed as to which Princess Murat this refers. Possibly Eugenie Murat [1855-1934], Anne Murat [1863-1940] or Marguerite Muras [1886-1956].
[2] Handwritten on VMFA object card. No other record. Provenance details from Newhouse Galleries, New York, indicate that they received the painting from Princesse Murat. See VMFA Registration file and VMFA Curatorial file.
[3] Accessioned November 30, 1953. See VMFA Curatorial file.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
