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Architectural Drawing

18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The church of San Michele in Isola is situated on the cemetery island, halfway between the Fondamenta Nove (Venice) and Murano. The church was built in 1469 with Istrian stone after a design by the architect Mauro Codussi (1140-1504). On the left hand side of the church, there the white domed Emilian chapel built in 1530 after a design by Guglielmo Bergamasco (?-1550). The hexagonal floor-plan shows the placement of three altars and columns along with the pentagonal hall entrance. There are three smaller elevation plan above: the decorated main door inside the chapel, a longitudinal plan of the pentagonal hall entrance with windows and the carved decoration above the main door.

Antonio Visentini (Venice, 21 Nov 1688 – Venice, 26 June 1782) was an Italian painter, engraver, architect and theorist. He was first known as a painter and trained with the Venetian history painter Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741). He became known as an engraver by the end of the 1720s when he was commissioned by Joseph Smith to produce engravings of Canaletto’s views of Venice. Visentini started working as an architect in 1731, and his first theoretical work, Libro di Architettura, which included Rococo-influenced drawings by Pier Antonio Morelli after Visentini’s ideas, was published in 1733.

His ideas on contemporary architecture derived from Antiquity and the work of Andrea Palladio (1508-80). Later however, Visentini developed neo-Palladian and anti-Baroque ideas. Visentini and his pupils executed numerous drawings of ancient and contemporary buildings intended to disseminate exemplary architecture. He participated to the foundation of the Venetian Academy in 1755, where he became a teacher of architectural perspective in 1772.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Drawing of the S Michele Murano, 18th century, in an album of drawings commissioned by the Earl of Bute
Physical description
Drawing of the Church of St Michele Murano, in pen and ink and watercolour, on paper. It depicts the interior plan of the building and three smaller studies of the ornate doorways and windows. The drawing is in a portrait format and is attached to one page of the album.
Dimensions
  • Length: 677mm
  • Width: 512mm
Inscribed on the drawing "scala di piedi veneziani" "in Venetian feet"
Marks and inscriptions
Pianta della capella emiliana in S. Michiel di Murano, Architettura di Gulielmo Bergamasco Il roversio della porta maggior entro la capella emiliana Spaccato del pentagono che serve d'ingresso nella capella Ornato della porta entro la chiesa che introduce nella sudetta capella (Handwriting)
Translation
Plan of the Emilian chapel in St Michele of Murano, Architecture by Guglielmo Bergamasco Reverse of the main door in the Emilioan chapel Longitudinal section of the pentagone used as the chapel entrance Door's decoration, inside the church, leading to the aforesaid chapel
Credit line
Accepted by H M Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria & Albert Museum, 2000
Production
This drawing has recently been atrributed to Antonio Visentini by Paola Modesti
Summary
The church of San Michele in Isola is situated on the cemetery island, halfway between the Fondamenta Nove (Venice) and Murano. The church was built in 1469 with Istrian stone after a design by the architect Mauro Codussi (1140-1504). On the left hand side of the church, there the white domed Emilian chapel built in 1530 after a design by Guglielmo Bergamasco (?-1550). The hexagonal floor-plan shows the placement of three altars and columns along with the pentagonal hall entrance. There are three smaller elevation plan above: the decorated main door inside the chapel, a longitudinal plan of the pentagonal hall entrance with windows and the carved decoration above the main door.

Antonio Visentini (Venice, 21 Nov 1688 – Venice, 26 June 1782) was an Italian painter, engraver, architect and theorist. He was first known as a painter and trained with the Venetian history painter Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741). He became known as an engraver by the end of the 1720s when he was commissioned by Joseph Smith to produce engravings of Canaletto’s views of Venice. Visentini started working as an architect in 1731, and his first theoretical work, Libro di Architettura, which included Rococo-influenced drawings by Pier Antonio Morelli after Visentini’s ideas, was published in 1733.

His ideas on contemporary architecture derived from Antiquity and the work of Andrea Palladio (1508-80). Later however, Visentini developed neo-Palladian and anti-Baroque ideas. Visentini and his pupils executed numerous drawings of ancient and contemporary buildings intended to disseminate exemplary architecture. He participated to the foundation of the Venetian Academy in 1755, where he became a teacher of architectural perspective in 1772.
Bibliographic reference
Martignago, Katia. 'Disegni di architettura dal Grand Tour. La collezione di John Stuart, III conte di Bute', PhD thesis, Università IUAV di Venezia, 2021
Collection
Accession number
E.9:2-2001

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Record createdJune 29, 2001
Record URL
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