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The Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day
Canaletto·1745
Historical Context
The Bucintore at the Molo on Ascension Day, painted around 1745 and now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (William L. Elkins Collection), depicts the magnificent state barge moored at the Molo following the Marriage of the Sea ceremony. The Bucintore, elaborately gilded and carved, was Venice's most impressive ceremonial vessel, deployed annually for the Sensa and for other state occasions. Canaletto's numerous paintings of the Bucintore document the vessel with varying viewpoints and atmospheric conditions, satisfying the seemingly inexhaustible demand for depictions of Venice's most spectacular ceremony. The Elkins Collection, donated to Philadelphia, represents the Gilded Age collecting that brought major European paintings to American museums.
Technical Analysis
The ornate Bucintoro is rendered in extraordinary detail, its gilded carvings catching the light. The surrounding flotilla of gondolas and barges creates a dense maritime composition centered on the state vessel.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the ornate Bucintoro rendered in extraordinary detail — its gilded carvings catching the light as the magnificent state barge sits moored at the Molo.
- ◆Look at the surrounding flotilla of gondolas and barges creating a dense maritime composition centered on Venice's most precious ceremonial vessel.
- ◆Observe this Philadelphia Museum painting documenting the Bucintore after the Marriage of the Sea ceremony, elaborately gilded and carved as befitting the Republic's most important symbol.
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