Ca' d'Oro
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The Ca' d'Oro (House of Gold), which is situated on the Grand Canal, is one of the oldest palaces in Venice. It was built in the early 15th century for Marino Contarini and the architects were Giovanni Bon and his son, Bartolomeo. The Ca' d'Oro acquired its name as a result of the gilded decorations, which once adorned its exterior walls.
Following the fall of the Venetian republic in 1797, the palace changed hands several times. Under the ownership of the ballet dancer, Marie Taglioni, the Ca' d'Oro suffered a number of depredations. In 1894 the palace was acquired by Baron Giorgio Franchetti, a merchant from Turin, who tried to restore much of what Taglioni had destroyed. The baron also amassed a very extensive and important art collection. In 1916 Franchetti bequeathed both the Ca' d'Oro and his art collection to the Italian state. The palace is now open to the public as an art gallery. Perhaps, its most famous painting is Mantegna's depiction of Saint Sebastian. There is a beautiful marble well-head (vera da pozzo) in the courtyard of the palace, the work of Bartolomeo Bon (1427). On three sides the carvings represent the virtues of Justice, Fortitude and Charity, while the fourth side bears the heraldic coat of arms of the Contarini, the family who commissioned it. |
Ca' d'Oro
Vera da Pozzo, Ca' d'Oro
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