The Museo Correr is the civic museum of Venice, located in the prominent Piazza San Marco, facing the basilica of the same name that it partially occupies, and is entered by way of the Napoleonic wing of the bureaucratic buildings, or Procuratie, framing three-quarters of the piazza. It offers an exciting itinerary to discover the Art and the History of Venice. Born of the collection donated to the city of Venice in 1830 by Teodoro Correr, the Museum has grown through later gifts, acquisitions and donations, which constitute the rich and varied heritage of the Venetian Civic Museums.The museum on the second floor flows into the Procuratie Nuova designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi. The Ala Napoleonica was built after the occupying French razed the small church of San Gimignano that faced the opulent Byzantine Basilica di San Marco.The museum holds art, documents, artifacts, and maps that chart the history and daily life of Venice across the centuries. The Napoleonic Wing has sumptuous Neoclassical decoration and houses a noteworthy collection of works by Antonio Canova.The museum also has shown one person exhibitions of contemporary artist such as Anselm Kieffer, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Enzo Cucchi and Lawrence Carroll.
The Site -Napoleonic Wing
The design and initial building work on the Napoleonic Wing dates from the years when Venice was part of that Kingdom of Italy (1806-1814) of which Napoleon was sovereign and his stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais, was Viceroy.The site had previously been occupied by the Church of View of Piazza San Marco Towards the Ancient Church of San GeminianoEngraving- an ancient foundation that had been rebuilt in the mid sixteenth century by Jacopo Sansovino - and ran between the Procuratie Vecchie and Nuove, the two long arcades of buildings which extend the length of St. Mark’s Square and had housed the offices and residences of some of the most important political authorities of the Venetian Republic.Originally designed as a residence for the new sovereign, the Napoleonic Wing would only be finished in the middle of the nineteenth century, when Venice was under the rule of Austria; hence, it served as the official residence of the Hapsburg Court during its frequent visits to the city, and after would become the Venetian residence of the king of Italy.Complete with monumental double facade, atmospheric portico, ample staircase, and opulent Ballroom, the Napoleonic Wing was designed by the architects Giovanni Antonio Antolini, Giuseppe Soli and Lorenzo Santi. In the 1820s the latter would be responsible for the layout of the entire Royal Palace complex, which now occupied the Procuratie Nuove as far as the Biblioteca Marciana, part of the building that had once housed the Venetian Mint, and the grounds of what became known as the Giardinetto Reale.The Venetian painter Giuseppe Borsato worked on the decoration of the interiors, producing a personal and very careful interpretation of the Empire style, clearly influenced by the French architects and interior decorators Percier and Fontaine and the Biedermeier style that then prevailed in most of the major royal courts of Europe.The frescoed ceiling of the Main Staircase - showing The Glory of Neptune - was painted by Sebastiano Santi in 1837-38.The building has maintained many of the distinctive features of the Napoleonic and Hapsburg periods; neo-classical influence in architecture, decor, frescoes and furnishings make it an important record of the culture and style of a period. Here the refinements of French taste go together with an interest in the traditions of Italian art - an interest that had been reawakened by the archaeological discoveries made in the second half of the eighteenth century (above all, at Pompeii). The result is an ideal context for the display of this collection of works by Canova.However, the most important aspect of the Napoleonic Wing, which seems to set itself in deliberate contraposition to the old Doge’s Palace, is that this residence of kings and emperors was the expression of a desire to open up a new chapter in the history of Venice.
The Layout of the Museum
The Museum is laid out in various sections that offer a fascinating insight into the Art and History of Venice. The first section occupies the Napoleonic Wing itself, a nineteenth-century palace for kings and emperors; here the sumptuous Neo-classical Rooms house a noteworthy collection of works by the greatest sculptor of the age, Antonio Canova (1757-1822). Then, one passes into the Procuratie Nuove, which were designed by the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi (1552-1616) and once housed some of the most important civic authorities within the Republic of Venice. The spacious rooms now contain collections that document various aspects of Venetian History – from daily life to public instutions, from naval achievements to local festivities. Beyond these rooms begins the exhibition of the Art Collection, which continues on the second floor. The period covered ranges from the very earliest days of Venetian painting right up to the sixteenth century, with many of the works on display being incomparable masterpieces.
The Site -Napoleonic Wing
The design and initial building work on the Napoleonic Wing dates from the years when Venice was part of that Kingdom of Italy (1806-1814) of which Napoleon was sovereign and his stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais, was Viceroy.The site had previously been occupied by the Church of View of Piazza San Marco Towards the Ancient Church of San GeminianoEngraving- an ancient foundation that had been rebuilt in the mid sixteenth century by Jacopo Sansovino - and ran between the Procuratie Vecchie and Nuove, the two long arcades of buildings which extend the length of St. Mark’s Square and had housed the offices and residences of some of the most important political authorities of the Venetian Republic.Originally designed as a residence for the new sovereign, the Napoleonic Wing would only be finished in the middle of the nineteenth century, when Venice was under the rule of Austria; hence, it served as the official residence of the Hapsburg Court during its frequent visits to the city, and after would become the Venetian residence of the king of Italy.Complete with monumental double facade, atmospheric portico, ample staircase, and opulent Ballroom, the Napoleonic Wing was designed by the architects Giovanni Antonio Antolini, Giuseppe Soli and Lorenzo Santi. In the 1820s the latter would be responsible for the layout of the entire Royal Palace complex, which now occupied the Procuratie Nuove as far as the Biblioteca Marciana, part of the building that had once housed the Venetian Mint, and the grounds of what became known as the Giardinetto Reale.The Venetian painter Giuseppe Borsato worked on the decoration of the interiors, producing a personal and very careful interpretation of the Empire style, clearly influenced by the French architects and interior decorators Percier and Fontaine and the Biedermeier style that then prevailed in most of the major royal courts of Europe.The frescoed ceiling of the Main Staircase - showing The Glory of Neptune - was painted by Sebastiano Santi in 1837-38.The building has maintained many of the distinctive features of the Napoleonic and Hapsburg periods; neo-classical influence in architecture, decor, frescoes and furnishings make it an important record of the culture and style of a period. Here the refinements of French taste go together with an interest in the traditions of Italian art - an interest that had been reawakened by the archaeological discoveries made in the second half of the eighteenth century (above all, at Pompeii). The result is an ideal context for the display of this collection of works by Canova.However, the most important aspect of the Napoleonic Wing, which seems to set itself in deliberate contraposition to the old Doge’s Palace, is that this residence of kings and emperors was the expression of a desire to open up a new chapter in the history of Venice.
The Layout of the Museum
The Museum is laid out in various sections that offer a fascinating insight into the Art and History of Venice. The first section occupies the Napoleonic Wing itself, a nineteenth-century palace for kings and emperors; here the sumptuous Neo-classical Rooms house a noteworthy collection of works by the greatest sculptor of the age, Antonio Canova (1757-1822). Then, one passes into the Procuratie Nuove, which were designed by the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi (1552-1616) and once housed some of the most important civic authorities within the Republic of Venice. The spacious rooms now contain collections that document various aspects of Venetian History – from daily life to public instutions, from naval achievements to local festivities. Beyond these rooms begins the exhibition of the Art Collection, which continues on the second floor. The period covered ranges from the very earliest days of Venetian painting right up to the sixteenth century, with many of the works on display being incomparable masterpieces.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento