- Palazzi Barbaro
The Palazzi Barbaro (also known as Palazzo Barbaro and Ca' Barbaro) are a pair of adjoining
palace s built on theGrand Canal of Venice , formerly one of the homes of the patricianBarbaro family . The palaces are in theSan Marco district of Venice.History
The first of the two palaces is in the Gothic style and was built in 1425 by Giovanni Bon, one of Venice's master stonemasons. The second structure was executed in the Baroque style and was designed in 1694 by Antonio Gaspari, one of the finest architects of the 1600s [ Alvise Zorzi, Venetian Palaces, Rizzoli, New York, 1989 ISBN 0-8478-1200-6; p. 222 ] Gaspari's building housed the Barbaro family's
ballroom which included a magnificent interior of Baroquestucco -work, paintings of ancient Roman subject matter, such asSebastiano Ricci 's "Rape of the Sabine Women" and works byGiovanni Battista Piazzetta [ Zorzi p.229 ] . In the 18th century an elegant library was created on the 3rd floor of the palace with a ceiling that incorporated a rich stucco design. In the center of the library's ceiling was placed one of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's masterpieces "The Glorification of the Barbaro Family", a painting that now resides in theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York. [ Zorzi p.230 ]In 1885 the older palazzo was bought by a relative of the painter
John Singer Sargent , John Sargent Curtis ["Venice Directions", Jonathan Buckley, Rough Guides, 2004, pg.136] . During this period, Palazzo Barbaro became the hub of American life in Venice with visits from Sargent,Henry James , Whistler,Robert Browning andClaude Monet . James finished his "Aspern Papers" in Palazzo Barbaro at a desk still housed in the palace today. James considered the Barbaro ballroom to be the finest example of a Venetian Baroque interior, and he included a description of the room in his novel "The Wings of the Dove ". [ Zorzi p.230 ] Palazzo Barbaro was also used as a location in the 1997 film adaptation of "The Wings of the Dove".The Palazzo has recently undergone a full aesthetic and structural exterior restoration. ["The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto", Jonathan Buckley, Rough Guides, 2004, pg.184] .See also
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Barbaro family Notes
External links
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