www.thehistoryblog.com
16th c. mural found on the Grand Canal
A rare 16th century mural has been rediscovered overlooking the Rialto Bridge on Venice’s Grand Canal. It is one of very few pictorial decorations on the exterior of a building surviving in Venice today, but the city was once replete with such vivid, colorful paintings, long-since destroyed by the humid climate, wear and tear and changing fashion.
Millions of tourists have passed by the non-descript exterior wall over a tobacconist shop in the centuries since the painting was plastered over without a hint of what was lurking underneath the layers.
The mural was found by chance during renovation works of a palazzo on the Riva del Ferro street a few steps from the Rialto Bridge right across from the vaporetto (Venice’s public water bus) stop. Contractors were employed for a simple maintenance intervention on the plaster façade of the building when they uncovered the multi-colored pigments of the mural. It was painted “a secco,” meaning on dry plaster, and depicts three allegorical figures, two female, one male, whose attributes and meaning have yet to be deciphered. The work is by an unknown artist, but was executed with refinement, skill, and a palette of brilliant colors.
The mural did not survive the centuries unscathed. It was in critical condition, pitted and darkened by the salty, wet environment of the Grand Canal. Expert restorers, architects and culture ministry officials worked together to clean and stabilize the painting, reviving the legibility of the composition.
As of last week, the scaffolding has been removed and the mural is once again visible from the Riva del Ferro. Restorers hope it might become even more accessible by removing cables and signage that are currently interfering with the view.