The restoration of Venice Palace, from Labors of Hercules to Venice Bride the Sea
Today The project for the enhancement of the "Venice bride the Sea" fountain, located in the center of the Venice Palace had presented to the public today; a further step that the Polo Museale of Lazio, directed by Edith Gabrielli, is doing with the objective to return the whole of the artistic heritage to visitors.The last restoration work took place just last year on the frescoes and the wooden ceiling of the “Sala dei Paramenti”, better known as “Hall of Hercules”.
The construction of this elegant building was commissioned by the Venetian Cardinal Pietro Barbo, who later became Pope with the name of Paul II, entrusting the initial project probably to Francesco de Borgo.
The construction had to start in 1455 incorporating pre-existing buildings into a unitary project consisting of two buildings, the “Palazzetto Venezia” that preserved many classical elements and the new “Palazzo Venezia”, last one double in size compared to the previous one, in which the new architectural style dominated that was revisitation of the Vitruvian rules and for this then called Renaissance. The works continued over the years and saw other architects in the direction, from Giuliano da Maiano to Mino da Fiesole, from Giuliano da Sangallo to Leon Battista Alberti.
The private rooms of the Cardinal were on the main floor, and among them is the "Vestments room“ that corresponds to the fifth and sixth window on the main facade of the building. This room, where the Pope was dressing, was decorated with frescoes running along the upper part of the four walls and, following the fashion of the time, with a trompe-l'oeil showing a twelve-arched lodge where, eight are showing many Labors of Hercules: Hercules and the lion Nemeo, Hercules and Antaeus, Hercules and the oxen of Gerion, Hercules and Gerion, Hercules and the dragon Ladone, Hercules and the deer Cerinea, Hercules and the birds of Stymphalus, Hercules and the centaur Nessus. In the remaining four lodges is a riot of fountains and cupids. It is not known who made these frescoes and still in the last century many experts suggested that it could even be Andrea Mantegna; the restoration carried out last year, and directed by Sonia Martone and Paolo Castellani, has ruled out this possibility, however, leading the anonymous painter came to the northern school.
The historical events of the last century had induced a "damnatio memoriae" in the collective memory of the Italian people and institutions, in which one of the most beautiful and significant monuments of the so-called Roman Renaissance, venice Palace was involved. After many years without any intervention now little by little the signs of degradation are being erased thanks to the funding of private individuals such as the Silvano Toti Foundation, which is responsible for the restoration of the Labors of Hercules, and the Rigoni di Asiago company that will support the restoration of the Fountain,Venice bride the Sea.
by M.L. ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (Ed 1.0 - 08/02/2018)