Palazzo Ducale

Date: founded 9th century; expansion 14th-16th centuries; expanded interior decorations from 16th-17th centuries
Image View Description: Interior: Antichamber
Material/Technique: stone
, Material/Technique: marble
, Material/Technique: brick
Work Type: architecture
Culture: Italian
Culture: Venetian
Location: Venice (Italy)
Notes: This room was the formal antechamber to the more important rooms in the palace, and the doors which give it its name are ornately framed in precious eastern marbles; each is surmounted by an allegorical sculptural group that refers to the virtues which should inspire those who took on the government responsibilities.The present decor is a work by Antonio da Ponte and design by Andrea Palladio and Antonio Rusconi. The coffered ceiling — with stucco decoration by Giovanni Cambi, known as Bombarda — contains frescoes of mythological subjects and of the cities and regions under Venetian dominion. Painted by Jacopo Tintoretto from 1578 onwards, this decorative scheme was designed to show a close link between Venice's foundation, its independence, and the historical mission of the Venetian aristocracy — a program of self-celebration that could already be seen in the Golden Staircase.
Image Source: Photography by the Media Center for Art History, Department of Art History and Archaeology, © The Trustees of Columbia University
Photographer: Cassy Juhl
Record ID: ven_doge_sala_quatro_porte_2


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