← Giovanni Battista Brustolon

Plate 9: Procession on Corpus Christi Day in the Piazza San Marco, from 'Ducal Ceremonies and Festivals' (Le Feste Ducali)

Original title: Plate 9: Procession on Corpus Christi Day in the Piazza San Marco, from 'Ducal Ceremonies and Festivals' (Le Feste Ducali)

Artist

Giovanni Battista Brustolon

Date

ca. 1766

Medium

Etching and engraving

Dimensions

Plate: 16 15/16 × 21 15/16 in. (43 × 55.7 cm) Sheet: 21 1/4 × 26 15/16 in. (54 × 68.4 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1961

kurzbeschreibung

On Piazza San Marco, the Corpus Christi procession passes by — Giovanni Battista Brustolon captured this festive moment around 1766 in etching and engraving. The print belongs to the series 'Le Feste Ducali' and shows one of Venice's great state ceremonies. Architecture and crowd are observed with equal care and set in relation to each other.

Description

In the foreground, figures crowd together in various garments: some dressed festively in traditional costume, others more plainly clothed, alone or in groups. Clergy in their robes and head coverings walk in the procession. The background is lined with buildings featuring colonnades typical of Venice; two tall columns with crosses provide a striking accent. The layout is symmetrical, with the procession moving through the center and the buildings framing it on both sides. Even light falls across the scene, and the palette remains muted, predominantly gray.

Context

For the Venetian publisher Giovanni Battista Albrizzi, the series 'Le Feste Ducali' was created after designs by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and executed by Brustolon. The etchings record the public ceremonies of the doges in the 18th century. The Corpus Christi procession was among the most important religious and state festivals of the Republic. The series appeared at a time when Venice was increasingly promoting its cultural identity through such images.

Impact

The even lighting and symmetrical arrangement give the print a calm, solemn mood. Architecture and figures are rendered so precisely that a documentary impression of Venetian festival culture emerges. The muted gray palette emphasizes the historical distance between viewer and event.

Technique

Etching and engraving are combined; this allows fine lines and precise shading. The process makes it possible to render both the architectural structures and the many figures in detail. Sharp contours and consistent hatching characterize 18th-century printmaking.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)