Venice: St Mark’s Square and the Arsenal
€175
- Cartographer
- Henri Chatelain
- Date
- 1720
- Subject
- Venice, Italy
- Dimensions
- 45.5 × 55 cm
- Condition
- Good condition.
- Original title
- Carte du Gouvernement militaire de la Republique Venise, l'Etat de ses revenus, de ses forces, et les differentes vuës de la place de St. Marc.
- Publication
- Amsterdam, H. Chatelain, 1720
About this piece
A coloured copper engraving of Venice by Henri Chatelain, published in Amsterdam in 1720. The sheet brings three views together. Two perspectives on St Mark’s Square flank a bird’s-eye view of the Arsenal, where the Republic built and maintained its fleets.
The contrast is one of the pleasures of the print. The open space of the Piazza and its buildings show the public face of Venice, while the walled Arsenal gives a view of the work behind its maritime power. Smaller scenes take the eye down to street and water level, with a gondola race and the Venetian tradition of a fistfight on a bridge.
French text and a table of revenues set the pictures within a wider account of the Republic’s government and military resources. The sheet measures 45.5 × 55 cm. The middle fold and a few small spots are visible.
Condition: Good condition.