Venice and the Doges

SIX HUNDRED YEARS OF ARCHITECTURE, MONUMENTS, AND SCULPTURE

TOTO BERGAMO ROSSI, INTRODUCTION BY COUNT MARINO ZORZI, PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTEO DE FINA

While Venice is better known for soft light and atmospheric painters, this elegant new volume transforms our understanding of Venetian sculpture and its place in the city’s artistic tradition.

A feast for the eyes and an entertaining, erudite read, this book opens with an illustrated survey of the 120 doges who led the Venetian Republic before continuing with a detailed survey of the incredible array of sculptures and monuments that memorialize them.

Although celebrated for painting and music, Venice has a sculptural tradition that was overshadowed by Florence and Rome. Based on new scholarship, this volume reveals the true magnicence of six centuries of Venetian sculpture. With the oldest works dating to the thirteenth century, these masterpieces ll the city’s churches and include pieces by great masters from the Lombardo family to Antonio Rizzo, Jacopo Sansovino, Alessandro Vittoria, and Baldassare Longhena.

The sculptural marvels of Venice tell the story of a procession of doges—politicians, scholars, conquerors, merchants, and even a saint, Pietro Orseolo—over a thousand-year history. Engaging text highlights the adventurous, eventful, and sometimes glorious lives of these legendary gures, while the newly commissioned photography showcases the grandeur and beauty of a neglected aspect of Venice’s cultural history.

Francesco “Toto” Bergamo Rossi has been the head of the Venetian Heritage Foundation since 2010. Count Marino Zorzi, former director of the Biblioteca Marciana, comes from one of the oldest Venetian families with a doge in their lineage. Matteo de Fina specializes in photographing art, interiors, and architecture.

ART

364 pages, 9½ x 12¼" 250 color illustrations Hardcover • 9780847899296 $135.00 USD, $180.00 CAD, £100.00 GBP May 2, 2023 Rights: World English

RIZZOLI