The Basin of San Marco on Ascension Day by Antonio Canaletto was created in 1740. The painting is in National Gallery, London. The size of the work is 121,9 x 182,8 cm and is made of oil on canvas.
About the Work
Looking across the basin of San Marco, this vast view captures the scale and splendour of a ceremony taking place along the waterfront. In the foreground, boats carrying animated figures in colourful outfits have been carefully arranged to lead the eye into the painting towards the impressive state barge or Bucintoro, with its red roof and golden carved decoration. In the bottom left corner, a man holding a yellow parasol gives his passengers a tour of the lagoon and gestures towards the activity on the quayside.
The annual ceremony of the Wedding of the Sea is about to take place. The upper deck of the Bucintoro is crowded with figures. A procession of state dignitaries and foreign ambassadors makes its way towards the state barge, past the Doge’s Palace with its pink and white facade; the golden umbrella just visible in the crowd belongs to the doge (the head of the Venetian state).
During the ceremony the Bucintoro was rowed out onto the lagoon, where the doge would cast a blessed ring into the water to symbolise the ritual marriage of Venice and the sea. This long-standing tradition had originated as a celebration of Venetian naval domination over the Adriatic Sea and became the grandest event in the Festa della Sensa, a festival marking the Ascension of Christ.
Traditional gondolas and golden parade craft surround the Bucintoro. Their passengers sit or stand in the open to view the spectacle, or else shelter from the sun under striped canopies. Some wear a white mask and black cloak, a costume traditionally worn during the annual Carnival of Venice. Canaletto conjured up this eager audience with great precision. Read more in National Gallery London.
