_S. Zaccaria--S. Giorgio degli Schiavoni--S. Francesco della Vigna_
We pass the N. portal of St Mark’s, follow the Calle di Canonica, turn
R., and first observing the beautiful façade of the Palazzo Trevisan,
associated with the memory of the notorious Bianca Cappello,[109] cross
the Ponte di Canonica. We continue E., cross the Ponte S. Provolo, pass
under a Gothic portal with a restored relief in the lunette of the
Virgin and Child, the Baptist and St Mark, and reach the Campo and
church of S. Zaccaria, once the chapel of the oldest, richest and most
extensive nunnery in Venice (now a barrack), and the burial-place of the
early Doges. The present church dates from the second half of the
fifteenth century. The visitor will infallibly be drawn to the altar on
the L. where stands Giovanni Bellini’s Virgin and Child with four
saints. R. of the enthroned Virgin stand SS. Lucy and Jerome: L., SS.
Catherine of Alexandria and Peter. Though imperfectly preserved and ill
seen its charm is indescribable. Feminine tenderness and virile
strength, fervent piety and dignity are expressed with all the lucidity
and winning grace of the master. It was painted in 1505 when he was
seventy-nine years of age.
The nuns’ choir, entered by a door on the right, has some fine choir
stalls by Marco da Vicenza, and some pictures, among them a doubtful
Palma Vecchio and a badly-preserved Tintoretto--the Birth of the
Baptist. The sacristan will open the chapel of S. Tarasius (p. 31) which
contains three gilded, carved altar-pieces of wood with paintings by
Giovanni Alemano and Antonio Vivarini. Each altar-piece is inscribed
with the name of the donatrix. The expert in the iconography of the
saints will find scope for his science in the interpretation of the
various symbols. The tomb of Alessandro Vittoria is in the L. aisle.
We return to the Campo S. Provolo and make our way N.E. to the little
oratory of S. Giorgio degli Schiavoni (Dalmatians), belonging to the lay
foundation (1451) of that name and built (1551) by Zuane Zon, master
mason of the arsenal. The foundation is still under Austrian
jurisdiction, and a rather poor endowment is helped by a yearly
contribution of two lire each from some hundred brethren, the Emperor of
Austria assisting by an annual subscription. Three Dalmatian priests
serve the chapel. St George’s Day, when high mass is sung and the upper
chamber is filled by the brethren and their friends, is a great
festival. During six years, 1502-8, Carpaccio was employed in decorating
the hall with scenes from the lives of three great Dalmatian saints, SS.
George, Tryphonius and Jerome. These charming and naïve paintings,
happily still in their original setting, have been described by Ruskin
in “St Mark’s Rest.”
L. of the entrance are two panels with scenes from the life of St
George. (1) The fight with the dragon; the young princess looks on with
clasped hands. The remains of the monster’s victims are a somewhat
gruesome detail. (2) The victor drags the slain beast, its head
transfixed by a dagger, into the city. The gorgeous dresses of the pagan
king, the princess and the oriental spectators, the quaint attempts at
local colour, and at investing the dragon with some degree of
fearsomeness, make the picture one of the most attractive of the series.
The story is concluded on the wall L. of the altar. (3) The saint
baptises the king and his daughter, carefully holding his cloak lest it
be spoiled by the water. This composition is rich in delightfully
conceived details of Eastern splendour. R. of the altar-piece (The
Virgin and Child by Catena) is a scene from the life of St Tryphonius.
He is portrayed as a lad subduing the basilisk which devastated Albania.
On the R. wall are the Agony in the Garden and the Calling of Matthew.
Then follow three scenes from the life of St Jerome. (1) The terror of
the monks at the sight of the lion; (2) death of the saint; (3) the
saint in his study translating the Scriptures. The furniture and
surroundings in this last, painted with loving care, betray the refined
taste of a Venetian scholar. A shelf of books, some manuscripts, an
orrery, works of art, objects of devotion, and, a homely detail--the
typical Venetian pet dog. The whole scene is pervaded with an atmosphere
of calm and studious retirement.
In a northerly direction, towards the Fondamente Nuove, is the great
church of S. Francesco della Vigna, whose site is associated with one of
the earliest legends of St Mark (p. 17). The land--one of the most
extensive vineyards in Venice--was bequeathed to the Franciscans in 1253
by Marco, son of Doge Pietro Ziani. The church was rebuilt (1534-62) by
Sansovino, modified subsequently by Palladio, who designed the imposing
façade. In a chapel to the R. in the S. transept is a Virgin and Child
by Negroponte. The figures are drawn with great fulness and beauty, and,
though much repainted, the picture, executed in 1450, is a remarkable
example of the Paduan master’s art. The church contains seven ducal
monuments; among them, L. of the choir, the tomb of Andrea Gritti
(1538). But of greater interest are the beautiful reliefs by Tullio,
Ant., and Sante Lombardi in the Giustiniani chapel, L. of the choir, of
the prophets and Evangelists, and eighteen scenes from New Testament
history. The church also contains two paintings by the Bergamasque
artists Franc. and Girolamo di Santa Croce (1500-50); a Holy Family and
a Resurrection by Veronese; and, in the chapel on the way to the old
cloisters, a Virgin and Child with four saints and donor by Giov.
Bellini, debased by re-painting.
[Illustration]