Floating in the north Lagoon are two curious figures aboard a strange boat which rocks with the waves. It recalls a scene from The Divine Comedy in which Dante, on his journey into hell, is directed across the river Acheron, by Virgil. The monumental bronze sculpture Barque of Dante was installed on the lagoon near the island cemetery of San Michele as part of the 2007 Biennale.
Walls with faces.
With a history stretching back to the fifth century, Venice's legacy of the past is written in its walls. At every turn there are signs and symbols tempting the curious to understand their significance.
It's widely thought that the ancient function of carved faces (mascaroni in Venetian) was to scare away evil demons, or even the devil itself. The stone reliefs are found mainly on the keystones of arches and bridges, and above doorways. An alternative belief is that the mascaroni, placed at the entrance of a building, could be a grotesque portrait of the owner.
One of the most famous mascaroni, known as 'El Mascaron' decorates the entrance portal of Santa Maria Formosa bell tower. Ruskin described this head as 'huge, inhuman and monstrous - leering in bestial degradation, too foul to be either pictured or described'.
These decorations were created by specialist stone cutters known in Venetian as tagliapietra.
'Cabinets of Curiosities'
Collections of objects which inspire wonder and awe originally became popular in the sixteenth century. Contemporary equivalents can be found in some artists' studios, specialists workshops, and retailers in Venice's winding alleyways.
With a history stretching back to the fifth century, Venice's legacy of the past is written in its walls. At every turn there are signs and symbols tempting the curious to understand their significance.
It's widely thought that the ancient function of carved faces (mascaroni in Venetian) was to scare away evil demons, or even the devil itself. The stone reliefs are found mainly on the keystones of arches and bridges, and above doorways. An alternative belief is that the mascaroni, placed at the entrance of a building, could be a grotesque portrait of the owner.
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| El Mascaron |
These decorations were created by specialist stone cutters known in Venetian as tagliapietra.
'Cabinets of Curiosities'
Collections of objects which inspire wonder and awe originally became popular in the sixteenth century. Contemporary equivalents can be found in some artists' studios, specialists workshops, and retailers in Venice's winding alleyways.
