Doge's Palace (Venice) - Capitals
Contents
Palazzo Ducale (Venezia) / The Doge's Palace (Venice)Edit
The portal columns are 3,10 m, the capitals 69,5 cm high.
Capitelli / CapitalsEdit
- If you can read English, you might enjoy reading the description of these sculptures, one by one, given in 19th century by John Ruskin in his The stones of Venice [1853]. You can find the relevant text here (capitals 1-12) and here (capitals 13-37).
All capitals, except that of the first, are octagonal and decorated by sixteen leaves; eight of them rising to the angles, and there forming volutes; the eight others set between them, on the sides, rising half-way up the bell of the capital
There are five different types of capitals (A, B1-4). All capitals vault towards the octagonal abacus. Spathaceous bracts mark the corners of the abacus. There are two different versions of the abacus (A/B).
Type A see
The corners are covered by eight broad ornamental bands, which vault to the exterior beneath the abacus. The volutes are in form of a five-lobed leaves reminding of wine leaves. These capitals are only decorated by heads of human beings or animals. Seven capitals from the 13th-century belong to this type.
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 02,
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 05
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 12
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 15
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 19
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 22
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 27
Type B
These types of capitals have a second ring of half-grown leaves, which form the base for the figurative decorations besides the spathaceous bracts at the eight corners of the abacus. The leaves are organized as volutes, bundles, spathaceous bracts or half grown leaves which form the four variants of this type.
The leaf-veins develop from the central leaf-vein (B1 see Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 21, B2 see Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 08) or begin from the abacus (B4 Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 17 with the three-lobed leaves volutes turning aside). The upper leaves of the five-lobed volutes of type B1, B2 curl into cycles or upwards into scrolls.
Type B1 see
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 01
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 07
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 10
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 13
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 21
Type B2
The half grown leaves come out an up growing bundle
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 00
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 06
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 08
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 09
Capitals in the Doge's Palace (Venice) - 11
00 - Infanzia ed arte del barbiere / Infancy, and the barber's artEdit
(Incompleto / Incomplete)
01 - Uccelli / BirdsEdit
(Incompleto / Incomplete)
02 - Dame e cavalieri / Ladies and GentlemenEdit
(Incompleto / Incomplete)
03 - PuttiEdit
(Incompleto / Incomplete)
04 - Monarchi / MonarchsEdit
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a) Vespasianus pointing with his sword to a picture of Christ
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a) Vespasianus imperator.
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b) Traianus imperator.
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h) Octavianus Augustus imperator.
05 - Dame / LadiesEdit
06 - Virtues and vicesEdit
(In restauro / Undergoing restoration)
07 - Mostri / MonstersEdit
(In restauro / Undergoing restoration)
08 - Virtù / VirtuesEdit
09 - Virtù / VirtuesEdit
10 - Peccati capitali / Deadly sinsEdit
11 - Uccelli acquatici / BirdsEdit
12 - Virtù e vizi / Virtues and vicesEdit
In gran parte una replica ottocentesca / Mostly a 19th century replica.
13 - Teste leonine / Lion headsEdit
14 - Quadrupedi / QuadrupedsEdit
15 - Dame e cavalieri / Ladies and GentlemenEdit
16 - Razze umane / Human racesEdit
17 - Sapienti antichi (le arti liberali) / Ancient wise men (Liberal arts)Edit
18 - (Colonna angolare) Pianeti e Zodiaco / (Corner pillar) Planets & ZodiacEdit
19 - Santi scultori - Sculptors saintsEdit
20 - Animali da preda / PredatorsEdit
21 Mestieri / CraftsEdit
22 - Le età dell'uomo - The Ages of menEdit
23 - Popoli della Terra / People of the WorldEdit
24 - Fasi della paternità / Phases in fatheringEdit
25 - I mesi / Months of the yearEdit
26 - Dame e cavalieri / Ladies and GentlemenEdit
27 - Frutta e verdura / Fruit and vegetablesEdit
28 - Virtù e vizi / Virtues and vicesEdit
29 - Virtù / VirtuesEdit
30 - Peccati capitali / Deadly sinsEdit
31 - Mostri / MonstersEdit
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Mostro con Flauto di Pan / Monster playing a Pan flute.
32 - Edit
33 - Vizi e virtù / Vices and virtuesEdit
34 - Uccelli acquatici / BirdsEdit
35 - PuttiEdit
36 - "Capitello della Giustizia" / "Capital of the Justice"Edit
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"Salo" (Solone) uno dei sete savi di Grecia che diè lege".