Artwork
The Doge Carried around the Piazza San Marco
The Doge Carried around the Piazza San Marco is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giovanni Battista Brustolon. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Giovanni Battista Brustolon’s 1764 print, titled *The Doge Carried around the Piazza San Marco*, is an engraving executed on laid paper. The image captures a densely populated public square in Venice, dominated by a slender tower that rises above a throng of figures. Central to the composition is a modest raised platform bearing a seated individual, surrounded by a chaotic mass of spectators.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a ceremonial procession in which the Doge, the chief magistrate of Venice, is borne aloft before a massive gathering in the Piazza San Marco. The multitude of standing, kneeling and prostrate figures conveys the civic importance of the event, while the surrounding architecture and flags underscore the public and celebratory nature of the occasion.
Technique & Style
Brustolon employed a combination of engraving and etching techniques on laid paper, allowing for both fine linear detail and broader tonal contrasts. The crowded composition, dramatic perspective, and intricate rendering of architectural elements reflect the late Baroque taste for dynamic, theatrical visual narratives common in eighteenth‑century Venetian printmaking.
History & Provenance
Created in 1764, the print was likely produced for distribution among patrons interested in Venetian civic life. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has appeared in several catalogues of Italian prints and is now held in the collections of a number of European museums specializing in graphic arts.
Context
The image belongs to a tradition of visual documentation of Venetian public rituals, a genre that flourished as the Republic sought to promote its political rituals through print. The Piazza San Marco, framed by grand façades and domed churches, served as the focal point for such spectacles, reinforcing the Doge’s symbolic role as the embodiment of the city’s authority.
Artist & collection
The Doge in the Bucintoro Leaving San Nicolò di Lido
Reception by the Doge of Foreign Ambassadors in the Sala del Collegio
Procession on Corpus Christi Day in the Piazza San Marco
Visit of the Doge to San Zaccaria on Easter Day
Annual Visit of the Doge to Santa Maria della Salute
The Newly Elected Doge Presented to the People in San Marco
The Doge Crowned on the Scala dei Giganti of the Ducal Palace
The Doge Attends the Giovedi Grasso Festival in the Piazzetta
