Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia - Palazzo Ducale Doge's Palace
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Fondazione
Musei
Civici
di Venezia
—
Palazzo Ducale
Doge’s Palace
ENG
The Palace
A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Doge’s Palace is an impressive
structure composed of layers of building elements and ornamentation,
from its 14th and 15th century original foundations to the significant Renaissance
and opulent Mannerist adjunctions.
The structure is made up of three large blocks, incorporating previous constructions.
The wing towards the St. Mark’s Basin is the oldest, rebuilt from 1340 onwards.
The wing towards St. Mark’s Square was built in its present form from 1424 onwards.
The canal-side wing, housing the Doge’s apartments and many government offices,
dates from the Renaissance and was built between 1483 and 1565.
The History Reached by a large fortified
gateway where the Porta della
Carta now stands, the buildings
The origins within these walls housed public
The first Doges offices, courtrooms, prisons,
The first stable settlements in the Doge’s apartments, stables,
the lagoon probably came just armories, and other facilities.
after the fall of the Western
The Doge Ziani’s Palace
Roman Empire (476). Gradually, Palazzo Ducale, Venezia
In the 10th century, the Doge’s
these became more established
Palace was partially destroyed
and are considered as outposts
by a fire, and subsequent
of the Byzantine Empire. At the
reconstruction works were
beginning of the 9th century,
undertaken at the behest of
Venice enjoyed a reasonable
Doge Sebastiano Ziani (1172-
level of independence. In 810,
1178). A great reformer, Doge Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Doge Angelo Partecipazio
Ziani radically changed the
moved the seat of government
layout of the entire St. Mark’s
from the island of Malamocco
Square area.
to the area of Rivoalto (the
Two new structures were built
present-day Rialto), when
for his palace: one facing the
it was decided the Palazzo
Piazzetta – to house courts
Ducale should be built, however,
and legal institutions – and the
no trace remains of that 9th
other overlooking St. Mark’s
century building.
Basin – to house government
—
institutions.
The Building
These new palaces probably
The Old Castle had all the Byzantine-Venetian
It is probable that the Palazzo architecture characteristic
Ducale, being protected features (such as the Fondaco
by a canal, stout walls and dei Turchi, which today houses
massive corner towers, was the Natural History Museum),
an agglomeration of different but unfortunately, only few
buildings destined to serve traces of this period remain (e.g. Illustration of the Old Castle (9th-11th centuries)
various purposes. parts of the ground-level wall in
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Istrian stone and some The Piazzetta’s façade was
herringbone-pattern brick completed with the construction
pavement). of the Porta della Carta, a work
by Giovanni and Bartolomeo
The 14th century palace Bon. Works on the other wings
At the end of the 13th century of the Palace would not come
it became necessary to until later. These would start
extend the palace once more. with the construction of the
Political changes in 1297 led Foscari entrance beyond the
to a significant increase in the Porta della Carta, culminating Illustration of Palazzo Ducale - 12th Century
number of people who had in the Foscari Arch. This work
the right to participate in the was not completed until Doge
legislative assembly meetings. Giovanni Mocenigo’s time (1478-
The works, which would result 1485).
in the building that we can
see today, started around The other wings of the Palace
1340 under Doge Bartolomeo and the various fires in the
Gradenigo (1339-1343) and building (1483-1577)
concerned mostly the side of In 1483, a violent fire broke
the palace facing the lagoon. out in the canal-side of the
In 1365, the Paduan artist Palace, which housed the
Guariento was commissioned Doge’s apartments. Once again,
to decorate the east wall of the important reconstruction
Great Council Chamber with a works became necessary
large fresco, while the room’s and Antonio Rizzo was
windows works were done commissioned, introducing the
by the Delle Masegne family. new Renaissance architectural
The Great Council met in this language to the building. An
chamber for the first time in entirely new structure was
1419. raised alongside the canal, from
the Ponte della Canonica to the
Doge Francesco Foscari’s Ponte della Paglia. Works were Illustration of Palazzo Ducale - 14th Century
Renovations and the 15th completed by 1510, and in the
century meantime Rizzo was replaced
Only in 1424, when Francesco by Maestro Pietro Lombardo,
Foscari was Doge (1423-1457), who reviewed the decoration
was it decided to continue the of the façade and of the Giants’
renovation works on the side Staircase in the internal
of the building overlooking courtyard of the palace. In 1515,
the Piazzetta San Marco. The Antonio Abbondi, also known as
new wing was designed as a Lo Scarpagnino, took over from
continuation of that overlooking Lombardo, finally completing
the lagoon: a ground-floor the works by 1559. The 1565
arcade on the outside, with erection of Sansovino’s two
open first-floor balconies large marble statues of Mars
running along the façade and and Neptune at the top of the
the internal courtyard side of Giants’ Staircase marked the
the wing. The vast Sala dello end of this important phase.
Scrutinio, formerly the Library, However, in 1574, another fire
was built at the same floor as destroyed some of the second
the Great Council Chamber, floor rooms, fortunately without
and its large windows and the undermining the structure.
pinnacled parapet took up Works began immediately to
the same decorative motifs replace the wood furnishings Illustration of Palazzo Ducale - 15th Century
as had been used previously. and decorations of these rooms.
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In 1577, when works had in 1866, it became part of a
just been finished, another united Italy. Over this period, the
huge fire damaged the Sala Palazzo Ducale was occupied
dello Scrutinio and the Great by various administrative
Council Chamber, destroying offices and housed important
masterpieces by artists such as cultural institutions such as
Gentile da Fabriano, Pisanello, the Biblioteca Marciana (from
Alvise Vivarini, Carpaccio, 1811 to 1904). By the end of
Bellini, Pordenone and Titian. the 19th century, the structure
Reconstruction works were was showing signs of decay Matteo Stom, San Nicola da Tolentino spegne
rapidly undertaken to restore and the Italian government set l’incendio del Palazzo Ducale di Venezia
it to its original appearance, aside significant funds for an
completed by 1579-80. extensive restoration. Many
original 14th century capitals
The prisons and other 17th were removed and substituted
century works and the originals now form
Until then, Palazzo Ducale the collection in the Museo
housed not only the Doge’s dell’Opera. All public offices
apartments, the seat of the were moved elsewhere, with
government and the city’s the exception of the State
courtrooms, but also a jail. It Office for the Protection of
was only in the second half of Historical Monuments, which
the 16th century that Antonio da is still housed in the building,
Ponte ordered the construction but under the current name
of new prisons, built by Antonio of Superintendence of the
Contin around 1600, which were Environmental and Architectural
linked to the Doge’s Palace by Heritage of Venice and its
the Bridge of Sighs. This transfer Lagoon. In 1923, the Italian
of the prisons left the old space State, owner of the building,
on the ground floor of the palace appointed the City Council to
free, and at the beginning of manage it as a public museum.
the 17th century works began In 1996, the Doge’s Palace Hogenberg, Franz
L’incendio del Palazzo Ducale di Venezia del
to restructure the courtyard. became part of the Civic 1577
Engraving
A colonnade was created Museums of Venice network. Venice, Museo Correr
in the wing that houses the
courtrooms similar to that of the
Renaissance façade, while on
the inner side a marble façade
was constructed alongside the
Foscari Arch, decorated with
blind arches and surmounted
by a clock (1615), a design by
Bartolomeo Manopola.
The palace after the fall of the
Venetian Republic
Palazzo Ducale was the heart
of the political life and public
administration of the Venetian
Republic. Therefore, when the Illustration of Palazzo Ducale - 16th Century
Republic fell in 1797, its role
inevitably changed. Venice was
firstly subjected to French rule,
then to Austrian, and ultimately,
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Itineraries
The public entrance to the Doge’s Palace in Venice is through the Porta
del Frumento, approached through the colonnade under the 14th century
waterfront façade. Public services and the Museo dell’Opera are located
at the ground floor.
The visit to the upper floors starts in the extraordinary Courtyard, from
where you pass up to the Loggia on the second floor whith the Institutional
Chambers (throughout the second and first floors) and then to the Armoury
and Prisons.
Itineraries
Museo dell’Opera The Armoury
The Courtyard and the Loggias The Prisons
The Institutional Chambers
The Museo The work involved the two facades
and the capitals belonging to the
dell’Opera ground-floor arcade and the upper
loggia: 42 of these, which appeared
Over the centuries, the Doge’s to be in a specially dilapidated
Palace has been restructured and state, were removed and replaced
restored countless times. by copies.
Due to fires, structural failures and The originals, some of which were
infiltrations on one hand, masterpieces of Venetian sculpture
and new organizational of the 14th and 15th centuries,
requirements and modifications were placed, together with other
or complete overhaulings of the sculptures from the facades, in an
ornamental trappings on the other, area specifically set aside for this
there was hardly a moment in purpose: the Museo dell’Opera.
which come kind of works have not After undergoing thorough and
been under way at the building. careful restoration works, they are
From the Middle Ages the activities now exhibited, on their original
of maintenance and conservation columns, in these 6 rooms of the
were in the hands of a kind of museum, which are traversed by
“technical office”, which was in an ancient wall in great blocks
charge of all such operations and of stone, a remnant of an earlier
oversaw the workers and their version of the Palace.
sites: the Opera, or fabbriceria or The rooms also contain fragments
procuratoria. of statues and important
After the mid-19th century, the architectural and decorative works
Palace seemed to be in such a state in stone from the facades of the
of decay that its very survival was Palace.
in question; thus from 1876 a major
restoration plan was launched.
Museo dell’Opera
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
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The Courtyard The Institutional
and the Loggias Chambers
Floor 2
Having entered the palace by the
Porta del Frumento, the oldest The tour through the various
side of the building, you can see Institutional Chambers in the
the Piazzetta wing to the left Palace begins in the Square Atrium.
and the Renaissance wing to These were the rooms which
the right. The north side of the housed the organs of a political and
courtyard is closed by the junction judicial administrative which was
between the Palace and St. Mark’s the envy of Europe for centuries,
Basilica, which used to be the due not only to its immutability (in
Doge’s chapel. At the center of the spite of the absence of a written
courtyard stand two well-heads constitution) but also to its ability
dating from the mid-16th century. to resist the passage of time and
Used for formal entrances, the still maintain social peace and
Giants’ Staircase is guarded by harmony.
Sansovino’s two colossal statues
Courtyard
of Mars and Neptune, which The Square Atrium Palazzo Ducale, Venice
represents Venice’s power by land The room served largely as a
and by sea. waiting room, the antechamber to
The rounded arch dedicated to various halls. The decoration dates
Doge Francesco Foscari (1423- from the 16th century, during the
1457) alternates bands of Istrian period of Doge Girolamo Priùli,
stone and red Verona marble and who appears in Tintoretto’s ceiling
links the Giants’ Staircase to the painting with the symbols of his
Porta della Carta through which office, accompanied by allegories of
visitors today leave the palace. Justice and Peace. The four corner
Members of the Senate gathered scenes, probably by Tintoretto’s
before government meetings in the workshop, comprise biblical stories
Senator’s Courtyard, to the right of – perhaps an allusion to the virtues
the Giants’ Staircase. of the Doge – and allegories of
At the opposite end of the the four seasons. The celebratory
Renaissance façade, the wide decor of the room was completed
Censors’ Staircase leads visitors by four paintings of mythological
to the loggia floor above where the scenes, which now hang in the
tour to the upper floors begins. antechamber to the Hall of the Full
Council. Their place here has been
The visit itinerary walks you taken by Girolamo Bassano’s The
through the Renaissance wing, Angel appearing to the Shepherds
from the Censors’ Staircase to the and other biblical scenes that are,
Gold Staircase, leading you to the with reservations, attributed to Gold Staircase
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
upper floors, where various State Veronese.
Government offices were situated. —
Two plaques here are worthy of The Four Doors Room
note: one, from 1362, has Gothic This room was the formal
lettering dating from the papacy of antechamber to the more
Urban V and promises indulgences important rooms in the palace,
to those who give alms to the and the doors which give it its
incarcerated; the other plaque, a name are ornately framed in
work by Alessandro Vittoria which precious eastern marbles; each
stands by the Giants’ Staircase and is surmounted by an allegorical
can be more easily seen at the end sculptural group that refers to
of the visit, celebrates French King the virtues which should inspire
Henri III’s visit to Venice in 1574. those who took on the government The Square Atrium
responsibilities. Palazzo Ducale, Venice
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The 1574 fire in this area damaged Square Atrium, but which were
this room and those immediately brought here in 1716 to replace
after severely, but fortunately the original leather wall paneling.
with no structural damage. The Each of the mythological scenes
present decor is a work by Antonio depicted is also an allegory of the
da Ponte and design by Andrea Republic’s government.
Palladio and Antonio Rusconi. The Antechamber contains other
The coffered ceiling – with stucco famous works, including Paolo
decoration by Giovanni Cambi, Veronese’s The Rape of Europe.
known as Bombarda – contains — The Four Doors Room
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
frescoes of mythological subjects The Council Chamber
and of the cities and regions The Full Council which met in
under Venetian dominion. Painted this room was comprised of two
by Jacopo Tintoretto from 1578 separate and independent organs
onwards, this decorative scheme of power, the Savi and the Signoria.
was designed to show a close link The former was in its turn divided
between Venice’s foundation, its into the Savi del Consiglio, who
independence, and the historical concerned themselves mainly
mission of the Venetian aristocracy with foreign policy, the Savi di
– a program of self-celebration that Terraferma, who were responsible
could already be seen in the Golden for matters linked with Venice’s Antechamber to the Hall of the Full Council
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Staircase. Amongst the paintings empire in mainland Italy; and the
on the walls, one that stands out Savi agli Ordini, who dealt with
is Titian’s portrait of Doge Antonio maritime issues. The Signoria was
Grimani (1521-1523) kneeling made up of the three Heads of the
before Faith. On the easel stands Councils of Forty and members of
a famous work by Tiepolo; painted the Minor Council, composed of
between 1756 and 1758, it shows the Doge and six councilors, one for
Venice receiving the gifts of the sea each district into which the city of
from Neptune. Venice is divided.
— The Full Council was mainly
Paolo Veronese, The Rape of Europe
Antechamber to the Hall responsible for organizing and Antechamber to the Hall of the Full Council
of the Full Council coordinating the work of the Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Formal antechamber where foreign Senate, reading dispatches from
ambassadors and delegations ambassadors and city governors,
waited to be received by the Full receiving foreign delegations and
Council, which was delegated by promoting other political and
the Senate to deal with foreign legislative activity. Alongside these
affairs. This room was restored shared functions, each body had
after the 1574 fire and so was its their own particular mandates,
decor, with stucco-works and which made this body a sort of
ceiling frescoes, similar to what “guiding intelligence” behind the
one finds in the Hall of Four Doors. work of the Senate, especially
The central fresco by Veronese in foreign affairs. The decor was
shows Venice distributing honors designed by Andrea Palladio to
and rewards. The top of the walls replace that destroyed in the 1574
is decorated with a fine frieze and fire; the wood paneling of the walls
other sumptuous fittings, including and end tribune and the carved
the fireplace between the windows ceiling are the work of Francesco
and the fine doorway leading Bello and Andrea da Faenza.
into the Hall of the Full Council, The splendid paintings set into
whose Corinthian columns bear a that ceiling were commissioned
pediment surmounted by a marble from Veronese, who completed
sculpture showing the female them between 1575 and 1578.
figure of Venice resting on a lion This ceiling is one of the artist’s
and accompanied by allegories masterpieces and celebrates the
of Glory and Concord. Next to the Good Government of the Republic,
doorways are four canvases that together with the Faith on which it
Jacopo Tintoretto painted for the rests and the Virtues that guide and The Council Chamber
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
> 7
strengthen it. The first rectangular The Chamber of the Council
panel shows the St. Mark’s bell- of Ten
tower behind the figures of Mars The Council of Ten was set up
and Neptune, Lords of War and after a conspiracy in 1310, when
Sea respectively. The central panel Bajamonte Tiepolo and other
shows the Triumph of Faith, and noblemen tried to overthrow the
the rectangular panel closest to institutions of the State. Initially
the tribune, Venice with Justice and meant as a provisional body to
Peace. Around there are some eight try those conspirators, it’s one of
smaller, T- or L-shaped panels that those many examples of Venetian
depict the virtues of government. institutions that were intended
Veronese again produces the to be temporary but ended up
large canvas over the tribune in becoming permanent. Its authority
celebration of the Christian fleet’s covered all sectors of public life
victory over the Turks at the Battle and this power gave rise to the
of Lepanto on 7 October 1571 – a fame of the Council as a ruthless,
victory to which Venice made an all-seeing tribunal at the service
essential contribution. The other of the ruling oligarchy, a court
paintings are by Tintoretto and whose sentences were handed
Senate Chamber
show various Doges with the Christ, down rapidly after hearings held Palazzo Ducale, Venice
the Virgin and saints. in secret. The assembly was made
— up of ten members chosen from
Senate Chamber the Senate and elected by the
This hall was also known as the Great Council. These ten sat in
Sala dei Pregadi, because the council with the Doge and his six
Doge asked the members of the counselors, which accounts for the
Senate to take part in the meetings 17 semicircular outlines that one
held here. The Senate which met can still see in the chamber. The
in this chamber was one of the decoration of the ceiling was the
oldest public institutions in Venice; work of Gian Battista Ponchino,
it had first been founded in the with the assistance of a young The Chamber of the Council of Ten
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
13th century and then gradually Veronese and Gian Battista Zelotti.
evolved over time, until by the 16th Carved and gilded, the ceiling is
century it was the body mainly divided into 25 compartments
responsible for overseeing political decorated with images of divinities
and financial affairs in such areas and allegories intended to illustrate
as manufacturing industries, trade the power of the Council of Ten
and foreign policy. In effect, it was that was responsible for punishing
a more limited sub-committee of the guilty and freeing the innocent.
the Great Council, and its members Veronese’s paintings – from that
were generally drawn from the of the Old oriental figure to that
wealthiest Venetian families. showing Juno scattering her
The refurbishment after the 1574 gifts on Venice – are particularly
fire took place during the 1580s, famous. The oval painting
and once the new ceiling had been in the center, depicting Jove
completed work started on the descending from the clouds to hurl
pictorial decoration, which seems thunderbolts at Vice, is however a
to have been finished by 1595. In copy of the original Veronese which
the works produced for this room Napoleon took to the Louvre.
by Tintoretto, Christ is clearly the —
predominant figure; perhaps this is The Compass Room
a reference to the Senate ‘conclave’ This is the first room on this floor
which elected the Doge, who was dedicated to the administration
then seen as being under the of justice; its name comes from
protection of the Son of God. The the large wooden compass
room also contains four paintings surmounted by a statue of Justice,
by Jacopo Palma il Giovane, which which stands in one corner and Paolo Veronese, Juno scattering her gifts on
are linked with specific events of hides the entrance to the rooms Venice
The Chamber of the Council of Ten
the Venetian history. of the three Heads of the Council Palazzo Ducale, Venice
> 8
of Ten and the State Inquisitors. The first nucleus of weapons
This room, therefore, was the preserved here consisted of ready-
antechamber where those who had to-use tools, chosen on the basis
been summoned by these powerful of efficiency and practicality and
magistrates waited to be called constantly updated in line with the
and the magnificent decor was technical progress of the sector.
intended to underline the solemnity Over time, this nucleus was joined
of the Republic’s legal machinery, by weapons for parades or events
some of the most famous and and weapons that were gifts or
efficient components of which were exchanges on official occasions.
housed in these rooms. In the latter case, the weapons
The decor dates from the 16th are precious objects in which the
century, and once again it was aesthetic value often prevails over
Veronese who was commissioned their function.
to decorate the ceiling. Finally, the armoury also preserves
Completed in 1554, the works arms, banners and other artefacts
he produced are all intended to that have ended here because they
exalt the “good government” of were won as war booty or because
the Venetian Republic; the central they have been seized for various
panel, with St. Mark descending reasons.
to crown the three Theological The collection used to be vast
Virtues, is a copy of the original, and impressive, but after the fall
now in the Louvre. Sansovino of the Republic in 1797, it suffered
designed the large fireplace in large-scale looting. Today the
1553-54. Within the palace, all collection comprises more than
rooms that served in the exercise 2000 pieces: steel weapons and
of justice were linked vertically. firearms, weapons for defence and
From the ground-floor prisons combat, as well as various items for
known as The Wells, to the parade, armour and accessories.
Advocate’s Offices on the loggia It is still a very important historical
floor, the Councils of Forty and collection, with pieces of enormous
the Hall of the Magistrates of Law value, and one that is closely linked
on the first floor and the various to the Republic of Venice and is
courtrooms on this second floor, thus highly representative of its
the progression culminated in the thousand-year history.
prisons directly under the roof, Armoury
the famous Piombi or “Leads”. Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Stairways, corridors and vestibules From this room, one can go down
interconnected all of these spaces. the Censors’ Staircase to pass into
the rooms housing the councils of
From this room one proceeds justice on the first floor.
to the Armoury
The Armoury The Institutional
Since earliest times the palace was Chambers
equipped with a deposit of weapons Floor 1
and armed garrisons to protect the
government activities taking place Liagò
within. This “deposit” has been In Venetian dialect liagò means
located in the area in which we now a terrace or balcony enclosed by
find ourselves since the fourteenth glass. This particular example was
century. During this period, the a sort of corridor and meeting- Liagò
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
responsibility and the care of the place for patrician members of
armoury was entrusted to the the Great Council in the intervals
Council of Ten, whose acronym, between their discussions of
CX, appears engraved on many government business. The ceiling
weapons and on the door jambs. of painted and gilded beams dates
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from mid 16th century, while the The heat of the fire reduced the
paintings on the walls are from the surviving fragments to a near
17th and 18th century. monochrome, while in places where
— the plaster has fallen, one can see
The Chamber of Quarantia Civil the red traces of the preliminary
Vecchia drawing. What we have now gives
The Council of Forty (Quarantia) a scarcely adequate idea of what
seems to have been set up by the must have been a sumptuous work,
Great Council at the end of the 12th glittering with color and gilding.
century and was the highest appeal —
court in the Republic. Originally The Chamber of the Great
a single forty-man council which Council
wielded substantial political and Restructured in the 14th century,
legislative power, the Quarantia the Chamber was decorated with a
was during the course of the 15th fresco by Guariento and later with
century divided into 3 separate works by the most famous artists
Councils: the Quarantia Criminal of the period, including Gentile da
(for sentences in what we would Fabriano, Pisanello, Alvise Vivarini,
call criminal law); the Quarantia Carpaccio, Bellini, Pordenone
Civil Vecchia (for civil actions within and Titian. 53 meters long and 25
Venice) and the Quarantia Civil meters wide, this is not only the
Nuovo (for civil actions within the largest and most majestic chamber
Republic’s mainland territories). in the Doge’s Palace, but also one
This room was restored in the 17th of the largest rooms in Europe.
century; the fresco fragment to Here, meetings of the Great Council
the right of the entrance is the only were held, the most important The Guariento Room
remnant of the original decor. political body in the Republic. Palazzo Ducale, Venice
The paintings hanging here date A very ancient institution, this
from the 17th century as well. Council was made up of all the
— male members of patrician
The Guariento Room Venetian families over 25 years
The first name is due to the fact old, irrespective of their individual
that this room was once linked to status, merits or wealth.
the Armory by a staircase, and the This was why, in spite of the
second name to the fact that it now restrictions in its powers that
houses a fresco painted for the Hall the Senate introduced over the
of the Great Council by the Paduan centuries, the Great Council
artist Guariento around 1365. continued to be seen as bastion of
Almost completely destroyed in the republican equality. The Council
1577 fire, the remains of that fresco had the right to call to account all
were, in 1903, rediscovered under the other authorities and bodies of
the large canvas Il Paradiso which the State when it seemed that their
Tintoretto was commissioned to powers were getting excessive and
paint for the same wall. Guariento’s needed to be trimmed.
fresco, too, depicts Paradise. In the The 1,200 to 2,000 noblemen
center there is an enthroned Virgin who sat in the Council always
being crowned by Christ, while, considered themselves guardians
to far left and right, are aedicule of the laws that were the basis of
like those from a portico church all the other authorities within the
façade, under which one can see State.
the figures of the Annunciation: the This room also housed the first
Angel Gabriel on the left, and the phases in the election of a new
Virgin Mary on the right. Angels Doge, which in the later stages
playing musical instruments would pass into the Sala dello
surround the central figures and Scrutinio.
the Evangelists are shown before These voting procedures were
the throne; saints, prophets and extremely long and complex in
martyrs are depicted alongside in order to frustrate any attempts of
The Chamber of the Great Council
individual stalls with gothic tracery. cheating. Palazzo Ducale, Venice
> 10Every Sunday, when the bells of St. The Chamber of the Scrutinio
Mark’s rang, the Council members This immense room is in the wing
would gather in the hall with the of the Doge’s Palace built between
Doge presiding at the center of the 1520s and 1540s during the
the podium and his counselors dogate of Francesco Foscari (1423-
occupying double rows of seats 57). It was initially intended to
that ran the entire length of the house the precious manuscripts
room. Soon after work on the left to the Republic by Petrarch and
new hall had been completed, the Bessarione (1468); indeed, it was
1577 fire damaged not only this originally known as the Library.
Chamber but also the Sala dello In 1532, it was decided that
Scrutinio. The structural damage the Chamber should also hold
was soon restored, respecting the the electoral counting and/or
original layout, and all works were deliberations that assiduously
The Chamber of the Great Council
finished within few years, ending marked the rhythm of Venetian Palazzo Ducale, Venice
in 1579-80. The decoration of the politics, based on an assembly
restored structure involved artists system whose epicenter was the
such as Veronese, Jacopo and nearby Great Council Chamber.
Domenico Tintoretto, and Palma il After the construction of
Giovane. The walls were decorated Sansovino’s Library though, this
with episodes of the Venetian room was used solely for elections,
history, with particular reference to starting with the most important,
the city’s relations with the papacy that of the Doge.
Jacopo and Domenico Tintoretto
and the Holy Roman Empire, while The present decorations date The Paradiso
the ceiling was decorated with the from between 1578 and 1615, The Chamber of the Great Council
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Virtues and individual examples after the 1577 fire. The rich ceiling
of Venetian heroism, and a central was designed by the painter-
panel containing an allegorical cartographer Cristoforo Sorte.
glorification of the Republic. Facing Episodes of military history in the
each other in groups of six, the various compartments glorify
twelve wall paintings depict acts of the exploits of the Venetians,
valor or incidents of war that had with particular emphasis on the
occurred during the city’s history. conquest of the maritime empire;
Immediately below the ceiling runs the only exception being the last
a frieze with portraits of the first 76 oval, recording the taking of Padua
doges (the portraits of the others in 1405. The walls recount battles
are to be found in the Sala dello won between 809 and 1656.
Scrutinio); commissioned from The painting on the eastern side
Jacopo Tintoretto, most of these showing The Battle of Lepanto
paintings are in fact the work of his by Andrea Vicentino, of 1571,
son, Domenico. Each Doge holds is particularly evocative. It is
a scroll bearing a reference to his framed by other battle scenes: the
most important achievements, Venetian Victory over the Turks at
while Doge Marin Faliero, who the Dardanelles by Pietro Liberi,
attempted a coup d’état in 1355, painted between 1660 and 1665,
is represented simply by a black and the Venetian Victory over the
cloth (a traitor to the Republic, he Turks in Albania by Pietro Bellotti, The Chamber of the Scrutinio
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
was not only condemned to death of 1663.
but also to damnatio memoriae, The western wall also retells
the total eradication of his memory military stories, including The
and name). One of the long walls, Conquest of Tyre by Antonio
behind the Doge’s throne, is Aliense, of 1590 ca. and the
occupied by the longest canvas Venetian Naval Victory over the
painting in the world, the Paradiso, Egyptians at Jaffa, by Sante
which Jacopo Tintoretto and Peranda, painted between 1598
workshop produced between 1588 and 1605.
and 1592 to replace the Guariento The room also contains three Andrea Vicentino,
The Battle of Lepanto, 1571
fresco that had been damaged in important works of sculpture: The Chamber of the Scrutinio
the fire. Adam, Eve and The Shield-Bearer. Palazzo Ducale, Venice
> 11These are the originals sculpted Enclosed and covered on all sides,
between 1462 and 1471 by Antonio the bridge contains two separate
Rizzo to adorn the façades of the corridors that run next to each
Foscari Gateway in the courtyard of other. That which visitors use
the palace. today linked the Prisons to the
— chambers of the Magistrato alle
The Chamber of Quarantia Leggi e la Quarantia Criminal; the
Criminal or the Cuoi room other linked the prisons to the
Housing one of the three Councils State Advocacy rooms and the
of Forty, the highest appeal Parlatorio. Both corridors are linked Works of sculpture by Antonio Rizzo
courts in the Venetian Republic, to the service staircase that leads The Chamber of the Scrutinio
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
this is another room used in the from the ground floor cells of the
administration of justice. The Pozzi to the roof cells of the Piombi.
Quarantia Criminal was set up The famous name of the bridge
in the 15th century and, as the dates from the Romantic period
name suggests, dealt with cases and was supposed to refer to the
of criminal law. It was a very sighs of prisoners who, passing
important body as its members, from the courtroom to the cell
who were part of the Senate as in which they would serve their
well, also had legislative powers. sentence, took a last look at
The wooden stalls date from the freedom as they glimpsed the
17th century. The room beyond lagoon and San Giorgio through the
this served as an archive, and was small windows. The Chamber of Quarantia Criminal
presumably lined with shelves and — Palazzo Ducale, Venice
cupboards. The New Prisons
— Seat of all government and
The Chamber judiciary functions within the
of the Magistrato alle Leggi Republic, the Doge’s Palace also
This chamber housed the housed prisons. In the mid-16th
Magistratura dei Conservatori ed century it was decided to build a
esecutori delle leggi e ordini degli new structure on the other side of
uffici di San Marco e di Rialto. the canal to the side of the palace
Created in 1553, this authority was which would house prisons and
headed by 3 of the city’s patricians the chambers of the magistrates
and was responsible for making known as the Notte al Criminal.
The Bridge of Sighs
sure the regulations concerning Ultimately linked to the palace by Palazzo Ducale, Venice
the practice of law were observed. the Bridge of Sighs, the building
In a mercantile city such as Venice, was intended to improve the
the courts were of enormous conditions for prisoners with larger
importance. And the administration and more light-filled and airy cells.
of justice in the city was made However, certain sections of the
all the more special by the fact new prisons fall short of this aim,
that it was not based on Imperial, particularly those laid out with
Common or Roman law but on a passageways on all sides and
legal system that was peculiar to those cells which give onto the
Venice. inner courtyard of the building. In
keeping with previous traditions,
From this room one proceeds each cell was lined with overlapping
to the Prisons planks of larch that were nailed in
place.
The Prisons From this room one proceeds
to the Chamber of Censors
The Bridge of Sighs
This corridor leads over the Bridge
of Sighs, built in 1614 to link the
Doge’s Palace to the structure The New Prisons
intended to house the New Prisons. Palazzo Ducale, Venice
> 12The Institutional however, it was only in the 16th
century that formal measures were
Chambers taken to introduce restrictions
that protected the status of that
The Loggia floor aristocracy: marriages between
nobles and commoners were
The Chamber of Censors forbidden and greater controls
The State Censors were set up in were set up to check the validity
1517 by Marco Giovanni di Giovanni, of aristocratic titles.
a cousin of Doge Andrea Gritti There was also a Silver Book,
(1523-1538) and nephew of the which registered all those families
great Francesco Foscari. that not only had the requisites
The title and duties of the Censors of “civilization” and “honor”, but
resulted from the cultural and could also show that they were The Chamber of Censors
political upheavals that are of ancient Venetian origin; such Palazzo Ducale, Venice
associated with Humanism. In families furnished the manpower
fact, the Censors were not judges for the State bureaucracy – and
as such, but more like moral particularly, the chancellery
consultants, being their main task within the Doge’s Palace itself.
the repression of electoral fraud The Golden and Silver Books were
and the protection of the State’s kept in a chest in this room, inside
public institutions. a cupboard that also contained
On the walls hang a number of all the documents proving the
Domenico Tintoretto’s portraits of legitimacy of claims to be inscribed
these magistrates, and below the therein. The cupboard which one
armorial bearings of some of those sees here nowadays extends
who held the position. around three sides of a wall niche;
— lacquered in white with gilded
The Chamber of the State decorations, it dates from the 18th
Advocacies century.
This particular State Advocacy —
department dates from the time The Chamber of the Navy
when Venice was a commune (12th Captains
century). The 3 members, the Made up of 20 members from the
Avogadori, were the figures who Senate and the Great Council, the
safeguarded the very principle of Milizia da Mar, first set up in the The Chamber of the State Advocacies
legality, making sure that the laws mid 16th century, was responsible Palazzo Ducale, Venice
were applied correctly. for recruiting crews necessary
Though they never enjoyed the for Venice’s war galleys. Contrary
status and power of the Doge and to what one might expect, the
the Council of Ten, the Avogadori bulk of these crews were made
remained one of the most up of paid oarsman drawn from
prestigious authorities in Venice the Venetian manufacturing
right up to the fall of the Republic. industries. Another similar body,
They were also responsible for entitled the Provveditori all’Armar,
preserving the integrity of the was responsible for the actual
city’s patrician class, verifying the fitting and supplying of the fleet.
legitimacy of marriages and births The furnishings are from the 16th
inscribed in the Golden Book. century, while the wall torches date
The room is decorated with from the 18th century.
paintings representing some of the
Avogadori venerating the Virgin, the The next room, now the bookshop,
Christ and various saints. used to house the Lower
— Chancellery of Palazzo Ducale.
The “Scrigno” Room
The Venetian nobility as a caste
came into existence because of
the “closure” of admissions to the
The Chamber of the Navy Captains
Great Council in 1297; Palazzo Ducale, Venice
> 13General Information
Venue
Palazzo Ducale
San Marco, Venice
—
How to get there
Vaporetto
Line 1 Vallaresso or San Zaccaria stop
Line 2 Giardinetti stop Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Line 5.1 / 5.2 / 4.1 San Zaccaria stop
—
Opening Hours and Tickets
For ticket information and opening hours please consult
the website:
www.palazzoducale.visitmuve.it
—
Bookings
- on-line: www.palazzoducale.visitmuve.it
- calling the call center: 848082000 (from Italy); Vittore Carpaccio, The Lion of Saint Mark
+39 041 42730892 (only from abroad) Palazzo Ducale, Venice
from Monday to Friday, excluding holidays, from 09:00 to 13:00
The booking office will also reply to customers through the e-mail
address prenotazionivenezia@coopculture.it
—
Follow us on
www.palazzoducale.visitmuve.it
DucaleVenezia
ducalevenezia
ducalevenezia
Paolo Veronese, Dialectic or Industry
— Palazzo Ducale, Venice
Palazzo Ducale
on Google Arts and Culture
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