The Decline of Venice (1534–1576)

Venice Reborn

The period of rivalry and decline for the rest of Italy was a golden age for Venice. Venice had suffered greatly from the wars of the League of Cambrai, lost many of its eastern possessions to the Turks, seen its trade with the eastern Mediterranean repeatedly disrupted by war and piracy, and gradually lost its Indian commerce to Portugal. Yet it was still able to support architects such as Sansovino and Palladio, writers like Aretino, and painters such as Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese.

In the same period, Andrea Gabrieli played the organ, led the choir of San Marco, and composed madrigals that echoed throughout Italy. No building could rival the luxury and artistic wealth of the palaces along the Grand Canal except the palaces of Roman bankers and cardinals. Dozens of poets recited their verses in pavilions and taverns in public squares. More than ten companies of actors performed comedies. Permanent theatres were built, and Vittoria Piisimi, nicknamed the enchantress of love, was the “salt” of the city.

Venice had never been invaded; its houses and shops remained unharmed. It had recovered its possessions on the Italian mainland, and cities such as Padua, Vicenza, and Verona were now culturally, economically, and intellectually subject to it. Its wealthy families still possessed untouched treasures. Its ancient industries flourished and found new markets in the Christian world; at this very time Venetian glass reached perfection and took on the form of delicate crystal. Venetian lace gained fame for the first time.

Toward the end of this period, Venice twice demonstrated its power and resilience. In 1571, it played a major role in equipping a fleet of 200 warships that, in cooperation with Spain and the Pope, defeated 224 Ottoman vessels near Lepanto in the Gulf of Corinth. That victory was celebrated with three days of delirious joy. The subsequent carnival was unprecedented in its magnificence and became the model for later celebrations.

Then, in 1574 and 1577, terrible fires destroyed several rooms in the Doge’s Palace. The speed and determination with which the interior beauty was restored revealed the Republic’s spirit like a shining light. Giovanni da Ponte was commissioned to rebuild the rooms in their former style. The walls of the Great Council Hall were painted by Tintoretto, Veronese, Palma Giovane, and Francesco Bassano. The greatest architects of the age — Jacopo Sansovino, Palladio, Antonio Scarpagnino, and Alessandro Vittoria — participated in the restoration.

Jacopo Sansovino

Jacopo Sansovino was born in Florence in 1486. As a young sculptor he created the Bacchus now in the Bargello. After the sack of Rome he lost all his possessions and went to Venice. Doge Andrea Gritti asked him to stay. He became the official architect of the state in 1529. He reformed Piazza San Marco, removed the butchers’ shops that defiled it, and gave the square its present charm and spaciousness.

In 1536 he built the Mint and began his most famous work, the Biblioteca Vecchia (Old Library). He designed its façade with a double portico of Doric and Ionic columns, beautiful cornices and balconies, and decorative statues. Some connoisseurs have called this library “the most beautiful non-religious building in Italy.” In 1544 one of the great arches collapsed; Sansovino was imprisoned and heavily fined, but Aretino and Titian secured his release. The building was completed in 1553.

He enjoyed close friendship with Titian and Aretino; the three were called the triumvirate by the artistic circles of Venice. Sansovino lived until the age of eighty-five and refused offers from foreign courts to leave Venice.

Andrea Palladio

In 1570 the Four Books of Architecture by Andrea Palladio was published. This book gave its name to a style that has endured to our time. He drew inspiration from the ruins of Rome and sought to restore Roman building methods to classical principles.

His first major work, and his finest, was the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza (1549). Wealthy patrons commissioned palaces and villas from him. He built two of Venice’s most important churches: San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore. His style spread to England, western Europe, and later to America.

Aretino (1492–1556)

Pietro Aretino, “the scourge of princes,” was born in 1492. He was a biting satirist who lived in Rome, Mantua, and finally Venice. In Venice he took a house beside the Grand Canal and remained there for the last twenty-nine years of his life.

He earned his luxurious living from the sale of his writings, from pensions, and from gifts sent by those who feared his ridicule or sought his praise. His satires, poems, letters, and plays were widely read. Works such as the Dialogues and plays like The Courtesan and Talanta brought him fame. He also wrote religious works and published numerous letters.

Aretino maintained close friendship with Titian and Sansovino. He was generous and gave away much of his income to friends and the poor. He died in 1556 at the age of sixty-four.

Titian and the Kings (1530–1576)

Titian was introduced to Charles V by Aretino and became the emperor’s court painter. He produced numerous portraits of the emperor, Pope Paul III, the Duke of Urbino, and others. He created Venus of Urbino, several versions of Danaë, and many religious paintings.

Titian lived to the age of ninety-nine and died in 1576. His death marked the end of a magnificent life.

Tintoretto (1518–1594)

Jacopo Robusti, known as Tintoretto, was the son of a dyer. He rose rapidly to fame and painted fifty-six canvases for the Scuola di San Rocco. His large works, such as The Crucifixion and Paradise, are among his masterpieces.

He died in 1594.

Veronese (1528–1588)

Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese, was a brilliant decorative painter. He created magnificent group scenes such as The Wedding at Cana and The Rape of Europa. His style influenced later painters including Rubens and Watteau.

He died in 1588.

Outlook

Despite economic decline, Venetian art reached its zenith in this period. The Venetian painters brought color and vitality to art and left a lasting legacy.