5780-2005 Newsletter-v6.indd - Save Venice Inc

Dino ChinellatoSave ◆ Venice ◆ IncSave ◆ Venice ◆ IncDedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice 2005DirectorsRandolph H. Guthrie, M.D, ChairmanBeatrice Rossi-Landi, PresidentMrs. Dennis C. Stanfill, Vice PresidentJesse Robert Lovejoy, TreasurerSarah Schulte, SecretaryProf. David Rosand, Project DirectorMatteo De Fina16The restored façade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco.Save Venice Restoration Wins Europa Nostra AwardOn June 2, 2005, in Bergen, Norway, theEuropean Union awarded Save Venicea Cultural Heritage Prize for its “…restorationof a complex masterpiece ofRenaissance craftsmanship…” This wasa prestigious and welcome ending to fiveyears of work on the façade of the ScuolaGrande di San Marco.The month before, on May 13,Venice had celebrated the completion ofthe restoration with a ceremony insidethe Scuola. Speakers included MassimoCacciari, Mayor of Venice; RenataCodello, Superintendent of Monumentsand Fine Arts; Alvise Zorzi, Chairman ofthe Association of Private Committees;Massimo Girotto, Venice hospital representative;David Rosand, Save Venice’sProject Director; Randolph Guthrie, SaveVenice’s Chairman, and Grazia Fumo ofthe Superintendency of Monuments andFine Arts, who skillfully directed theproject. During the ceremony, a minuteof silence was observed in memory ofRoger Rearick who passed away last yearfollowing a long illness and to whom therestoration was dedicated. Save Venicesorely misses this extraordinary man.He was a friend and mentor to us all.After the ceremony, Save Venice hosteda cocktail reception outside the Scuolain Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo. ManyVenetians came to celebrate the restorationof one of Venice’s most beautiful andimportant monuments.This glorious façade of what nowserves as the city hospital was builtbetween 1488 and 1495 by two of themost famous architects in Venetian history– Pietro Lombardo and Mauro Codussi.The façade is particularly important forits architectural detail, its statuary, and itsbeautifully carved decorative reliefs. PietroLombardo also built the nearby Church ofSanta Maria dei Miracoli, restored by SaveVenice between 1987 and 1998.www.savevenice.orgVisit our web site developed byThe Media Center for Art History,Columbia University. Sponsored byThe Hazen Polsky Foundation, Inc.Bernadette J. BergerLaura Maioglio BlobelFrancesca Bortolotto PossatiProf. Patricia Fortini BrownDavid BullMrs. Hilary P. CalifanoTia Fuhrmann ChapmanJohn W. DayAllison Hyde DrescherRobert E. DukeBeatrice EsteveJohn Leopoldo FiorillaJ. Winston Fowlkes IIIMary E. FrankBeatrice H. GuthrieAnne HawleyFrederick IlchmanDayssi Olarte de KanavosElizabeth LockeMrs. Guido LorenzottiJohn LoringEmily MeadRichard E. OldenburgJuan M. PrietoProf. Theodore K. RabbRichard A. RifkindMrs. Julio Mario Santo DomingoJames B. SherwoodSidney H. StiresGeorge C. WhiteMatthew WhiteHutton WilkinsonBaroness Mariuccia Zerilli-MarimòBeatrice H. Guthrie, Executive DirectorKaren L. Marshall, Associate Director &Assistant TreasurerMelissa Conn, Venice ProjectsAdministrator15 East 74th StreetNew York, NY10021Tel: 212-737-3141Fax: 212-249-0510San Marco 2888a30124 Venice, ItalyTel: 041 52-85-247Fax: 041 52-31-843newyork@savevenice.orgvenice@savevenice.orgUNESCO-Private Committeesfor the Safeguarding of Venice.The restored Madonna and Child with Saints by Cima da Conegliano in the Accademia Galleries.

Matteo De FinaMatteo De FinaMatteo De FinaMatteo De FinaMatteo De FinaMadonna and Child with Saints by Cima da ConeglianoGiovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano’soutstanding late-fifteenth-century altarpiece,Madonna and Child with SaintsNicholas, George, Catherine, AnthonyAbbot, Sebastian, and Lucy, has beenrestored and returned to one of thecentral rooms in Venice’s AccademiaGalleries alongside masterpieces byBellini and Carpaccio. Next year, thispainting will feature prominentlyin an Accademia exhibition devotedto Cima.Giovanni Battista was born in 1459to a family of cimatori, or cloth-shearers,in the town of Conegliano, in the foothillsof the Dolomite Mountains on theVenetian mainland. As was typical ofthe time, his family assumed the nameof their trade, Cima. He was known asCima da Conegliano, the Shearer fromConegliano. Although he worked predominantlyin Venice, he maintainedclose links with his town of origin, andthe countryside around Coneglianoappears in the backgrounds of manyof his paintings.It is not known with whom Cimatrained as an artist upon arriving inVenice in the mid-1480s, but GiovanniBellini and Alvise Vivarini were importantinfluences. Cima’s style developedearly and remained largely unchangedthroughout his career. By the 1490s,he was a leading altarpiece painter inVenice, but he and his workshop alsoproduced smaller devotional picturesas well as mythological subjects usedto decorate furniture.Cima da Conegliano lived in theVenetian parish of San Luca, and hispersonal life was as prolific as his artisticoutput; he married twice and hadeight children. He died in 1517, duringhis customary summer holiday in hisbeloved Conegliano.Giorgio Dragan, a Venetian shipowner,commissioned this painting forhis family chapel in the Venetian Churchof Santa Maria della Carità. Althoughnot dated, for stylistic reasons, the paintingis thought to have been completedbetween 1496 and 1499. Art historianshave seen stylistic similarities to Cima’sMiglionico polyptych in Matera, Italy,which has a secure date of 1499, andto a figure of St. Sebastian by Cima inLondon’s National Gallery from about1500. Another clue to the painting’sdate is that the Dragan Chapel wasstill under construction at the time ofGiorgio Dragan’s death in 1499, andDragan did not mention the paintingin his will when giving directions forthe completion of the chapel. This hasled scholars to assume that Cima’s commissionhad already been fulfilled, andpaid, by 1499.The Dragan Chapel and the Cimaaltarpiece’s marble frame were designedand sculpted by Cristoforo Solari ofMilan. The painted architectural elementsin Cima’s picture were probably relatedto the actual surrounding architecture.Unfortunately, Dragan’s chapel wasdestroyed. After the fall of the VenetianRepublic in 1797 and Napoleon’s suppressionof religious orders, the Caritàartworks were destroyed or dispersedand the space became the AccademiaGalleries. Cima’s picture, however, didnot travel far as it was acquired by theAccademia in 1812.This altarpiece’s static grouping ofsaints from various historical periodsaround a Madonna and Child is knownas a sacra conversazione (“sacred conversation”)and reflects an ideal assemblagerather than a narrative event. The painting’sdepiction of St. George is traditionallythought to be a portrait of GiorgioDragan. The other saints portrayedin the picture – Nicholas, Catherine,Anthony Abbot, Sebastian, and Lucy– are probably the name saints of otherDragan family members. The musicianangels, common features in altarpiecesby Giovanni Bellini and other Cima contemporariesin Venice, add a lyrical touchto the painting. The unmistakable hillsof Conegliano create a delicate, serenelandscape background.Under the direction and supervisionof Giulio Manieri Elia of theSuperintendency of State Museums ofVenice, Lucia Tito and the CBC restorationfirm cleaned the surface of thepainting and removed discolored varnishand awkward repainting to revealCima’s original glowing passages anddetails. It was painted on thirteen horizontalpoplar planks, and had previouslysuffered a severe termite invasion. Theinactive holes were filled during a pastrestoration, but they remained intrusiveand were retouched during the currentconservation. The wooden panel wassecured and stabilized.The Madonna and Child with SaintsNicholas, George, Catherine, Anthony Abbot,Sebastian, and Lucy was restored withfunding from The James R. Dougherty,Jr. Foundation and Save Venice generalfunds. It joins an illustrious list ofCima’s works restored by Save Venice:The Baptism of Christ in the Church ofSan Giovanni in Bragora (restored in1989 with co-sponsorship from WorldMonuments Fund), St. John the Baptistand Saints in the Church of Madonnadell’Orto (restored in 1999 with fundingfrom the James R. Dougherty, Jr.Foundation), and St. Mark Enthroned withSaints Louis and Andrew, Temperance andJustice in the Accademia Galleries, whichis currently undergoing conservationtreatment in time to join the Draganaltarpiece in the 2006 Cima exhibition.This page and opposite page: Details of therestored Madonna and Child with Saints byCima da Congeliano in the Accademia Galleries.All images of the Madonna and Child withSaints by Cima da Congeliano were reproducedwith the permission of the Ministero per i beni ele Attività Culturali.2 3

Blessed Lorenzo Giustinianby Gentile BelliniLorenzo Giustinian (1381-1456) belongedto an important, noble Venetian family.Pope Nicolas V named him the firstpatriarch of Venice when the seat of thebishopric was moved from Grado onthe mainland to the island of Castelloin Venice in 1451. (The Venetians werealways suspicious of the Pope’s representativein their city and established hisseat on its easternmost island, while theBasilica San Marco served as the Doge’sprivate chapel). Giustinian was officiallycanonized in 1690 for his numerous andbrilliant treatises on theology, his manyclerical reforms, his work as a builderof churches and religious schools, andhis services to the poor. The saint’s lifeand deeds are still celebrated every summerat a popular outdoor festival at hisChurch of San Pietro di Castello.Gentile Bellini was born in Venice in1429 into an illustrious family of paintersthat included his father, Jacopo, hisbrother, Giovanni, and his brother-inlaw,Andrea Mantegna. Gentile is perhapsbest known for his large historypaintings, many of which he executedtogether with Giovanni.In 1456, father Jacopo Bellini paintedthe earliest known representation ofLorenzo Giustinian for his burial sitein the Church of San Pietro di Castello.Nine years later in 1465, Gentile paintedthis canvas processional banner of thesaint, titled Blessed Lorenzo Giustinian(shown to the right), for the Church ofMadonna dell’Orto. Both Jacopo andGentile would personally have knownLorenzo, and therefore both of their portraitsare considered authentic likenesses.These portraits would be widely copied,making Giustinian’s profile a familiarimage in Venetian art. The iconographyof Gentile’s banner demonstratesthat shortly after the saint’s death, theVenetians had already begun to sanctifytheir patriarch. He is shown with a haloand is represented much larger in scalethan the two angels and praying monkson either side of him.In the following years, Gentilereceived numerous commissions inVenice as his reputation grew. In 1466,the confraternity of the Scuola Grandedi San Marco engaged Gentile to painttwo large Old Testament scenes for itsnew chapter house. During his visitto Venice three years later in 1469, theHoly Roman Emperor, Frederic III, wasso impressed by these paintings that heknighted Gentile. In 1474, Gentile wascommissioned to restore the great frescocycle in the Sala del Maggior Consiglioof the Ducal Palace, painted in theearly 15C by Gentile da Fabriano andPisanello. In 1479, the government ofVenice asked Gentile to go to Istanbul topaint the portrait of the Sultan, MehmetII. This famous portrait, like the one ofLorenzo Giustinian, is painted in profileand is one of the treasures of London’sNational Gallery.The James R. Dougherty, Jr. Foundationsponsored the conservation of theBlessed Lorenzo Giustinian. The canvas hadsuffered damage from water and folding.These problems, combined with the fugitivechemical properties of tempera pigment,have resulted in the loss of muchof the original color of the painting.Giulio Manieri Elia of the Superintendencyof State Museums directedconservators Giulio Bono and PierangelaFormaggini in the canvas’s conservation. Itwas one of the most delicate and importantconservation treatments at the AccademiaGalleries in recent years. The conservatorstreated the canvas by removing mold andretouches of a 1960s restoration. The cleaningand conservation employed delicatedry techniques that are more commonlyused in drawings conservation, and theresults are dramatic.The restored Blessed Lorenzo Giustinian byGentile Bellini in the Accademia Galleries.This image of the Blessed Lorenzo Giustinianby Gentile Bellini was reproduced with thepermission of the Ministero per i beni e leAttività Culturali.Giulio BonoChioggia CrucifixThe most revered object in the city ofChioggia, a fishing community on thesouthern tip of the Venetian lagoon, isan imposing painted, wooden Crucifixin the Church of San Domenico. Itsimage of the sacred Corpus and Crossis often painted on the sails and boats ofChioggia’s fishermen. Luca Caburlotto ofthe Superintendency of State Museumsof Venice directed the complex, two-yearrestoration of the Crucifix. Conservationwas funded by Save Venice generalfunds and performed by GiovannaMenegazzi and Roberto Bergamaschi.There are several legends regarding theorigin of the Crucifix and how it came toChioggia. One says the Crucifix was madeby Christ’s covert disciple Nicodemus,and eventually it found its way to a townin the Marche region of Italy. The storygoes on to relate that the 13th-centurysaint, St. Peter Martyr, asked to have thesacred object transported to Venice, but asa result of a shipwreck, the Crucifix washedashore instead in Chioggia. Another legendclaims it is one of the four crucifixes saidto have been made by St. Luke and keptin Constantinople until 1453, when the cityfell to the Turks. At that time, to prevent thecross’s destruction by infidels, Christiansoldiers threw it into the sea, and “DivineWill” caused it to float to Chioggia.Experts who studied the ChioggiaCrucifix during its restoration think itis probably the work of an artist fromStrasbourg dating to the late 1300s orearly 1400s. It is unusually large: thesculpture of Christ stands nine feet tall,and the Cross measures more than fifteenfeet high and eleven feet wide.Due to the Crucifix’s imposing weightand size, land transportation would havebeen difficult. It most likely arrived inChioggia from its country of origin bysea, if not dramatically washing up onChioggia’s shores. The earliest documentreferring to the Crucifix is dated 1446,when a bequest was made in its honor tothe Church of San Domenico.Restoration revealed puzzling elementsthat confirm the work of art’sstrange history. Signs indicate that, avery short time after the Crucifix wasmade, Christ’s arms were cut off andGiovanna Menegazzilater reattached and the sculpture completelyrepainted. It is possible that thearms were removed in order to transportthe figure of Christ, and that theentire Crucifix needed to be repainteddue to the extensive damage. With theaid of cross-section analysis, in whichpaint chips are analyzed to distinguishpaint layers, restorers have been able touncover and preserve the early-fifteenthcenturypolychromy.The Chioggia Crucifix returned to theChurch of San Domenico in July, 2005. Itonce again arrived by water, traveling byboat across the Venetian lagoon from therestoration laboratory on the Brenta Canal.The people of Chioggia joyfully welcomedback their Crucifix with a special Masscoinciding with a ceremony honoring thecity’s oldest fishermen and a traditional ritualcelebrating Chioggia’s mystical “marriage”to the sea.Above Left: The restored Chioggia Crucifix inthe Church of San Domenico.Top Right: A detail of the face of Christ.Bottom Right: The Chioggia Crucifix in transitacross the Venetian Lagoon.Giovanna MenegazziGiovanna Menegazzi4 5

Purification of the Virginby Giuseppe Porta SalviatiMeri GalloMeri GalloGiuseppe Porta was born in Tuscanyaround 1520 and arrived in Venice in1539 with his teacher, Francesco Salviati,whose last name he eventually assumed.Giuseppe Salviati, as he came to becalled, was instrumental in bringing toVenice the style known as Mannerism,which had been developed in centralItaly by the followers of Michelangeloand Raphael. Salviati spent the rest ofhis career in Venice, executing commissionsfor the Venetian government(particularly in the Doge’s Palace andthe Marciana Library) and for privatefamilies in some of the most prestigiouschurches of Venice.His style is distinguished by a blendof Roman Mannerism, seen primarilyin elongated anatomies and extravagantposes, and Venetian coloring, inwhich the artist employs many layersand patches of paint to create luminoustonalities and dramatic chiaroscuro. Salviatihad an important influence on Tintoretto,Veronese, and Palma il Giovane.This large altarpiece is consideredGiuseppe Porta Salviati’s masterpieceand has been dated to around 1548. Itstill stands on the altar of the Valierfamily, who commissioned it for theright side of the nave of the Church ofthe Frari. It depicts the Purification ofthe Virgin, a ceremony in which motherswere purified after giving birth byoffering to the temple two turtle dovesfor sacrifice. The doves and the infantChrist in the arms of the high priestSimeon occupy the center of the canvas.This painting is also sometimesreferred to as the Presentation of Christin the Temple, an event that took placeat the same time as the purification.The foreground of the painting containsthe looming figures of Saints Paul,Helen, Augustine, Nicholas, Bernardino,and Mark. The powerful, striding figureof Paul bearing the sword offers a strikingexample of Salviati’s elegant figure types.It was a typical Mannerist deviceto relegate the main action to the backgroundof the composition. In this painting,the artist has combined in an interestingmanner a narrative scene in thecenter with a static grouping of saintsbelow, probably both to fill the verticalfield of the canvas and to incorporatethe name saints of the Valier family.Under the direction of Grazia Fumoof the Superintendency of Monumentsand Fine Arts of Venice, the AndreaLibralesso conservation firm cleanedand restored the Purification of the Virgin,returning the glowing color and subtlepassages that mark this painting as agreat work of the Venetian sixteenth century.The Boston Chapter of Save Venicesponsored the restoration.The restored altarpiece of the Purificationof the Virgin by Giuseppe Porta Salviati,commissioned by the Valier family for theright side of the nave of the Church ofthe Frari.Meri GalloLeft: Detail of Saints Paul, Helen, and Augustine.Top Right: Detail of the high priest Simeonholding the infant Christ.Middle Right: Detail of embroidery ofSt. Nicholas’ mantle.Bottom Right: Detail of the Virgin Mary.Meri GalloMeri Gallo6 7

Saint Helen Altarpiece byMichele di MatteoThis magnificent altar painting is themasterpiece of Michele di Matteo, apainter from Bologna, active from 1410to 1469. For centuries, it decorated analtar dedicated to St. Helen (the motherof the Emperor Constantine) in themonastery of Sant’Elena, at the far easternend of Venice. The painting wasprobably commissioned between 1430and 1437, when Michele was workingin Venice, by the monastery’s prior,Fra Bernardo de’ Scapi, who also camefrom Bologna.The polyptych, or multi-compartmentalpainting, features a tender VirginMary and infant Christ in the center ofthe lower register, flanked by Saints Lucy,Helen, Mary Magdalene, and Catherineof Alexandria. Under St. Catherine’s feet,the artist’s signature can be seen.An animated and emotional depictionof the Crucifixion occupies the centerof the upper row of paintings andis flanked on either side by the fourEvangelists: Matthew, Mark, John, andLuke. Small depictions of Christ andsixteen saints adorn the band separatingthe two registers.The predella, or lowest tier, featuresfive scenes of St. Helen locating the TrueCross and the miracles associated withthis relic. Much of the painting is executedwith remarkable precision, and theartist’s generous use of precious goldleaf indicates that it was an importantcommission.The altarpiece is now housed in theimposing first room of the AccademiaGalleries. The Young Friends of SaveVenice, Boston Chapter, sponsoredits conservation, which was directedby Giulio Manieri Elia of the VeniceSuperintendency of State Museumsand carried out by Lucia Tito and theCBC conservation firm. They cleanedand stabilized the wooden panels thatcompose the polyptych, as well asthe painting’s original gilded woodenframe. Conservators restored the delicatepictorial surface and brought backthe original splendor of this fifteenthcenturymasterpiece.Top: The Saint Helen Altarpiece, before restoration,by Michele di Matteo in the Accademia Galleries.Below: Details from the Crucifixion, before andafter restoration.Right: Detail of the Virgin Mary, after restoration.All images of the Saint Helen Altarpiece byMichele di Matteo were reproduced with thepermission of the Ministero per i beni e leAttività Culturali.Matteo De FinaMatteo De Fina9Matteo De Fina8 9

Two Men with a Passagefrom Cicero’s “On Friendship”by Jacopo PontormoMarina NahabedSt. Martin and the BeggarSt. Martin and the Beggar is a high-reliefsculpture of Istrian stone that adornsthe doorway of the parish priest’s homeadjacent to the Church of San Martinonear Venice’s Arsenale. The relief figurestell the story of St. Martin, whoperforms an archetypal act of Christiancharity: Martin, a fourth-century Romansoldier serving in Gaul, divides his cloakin two in order to share it with a shiveringbeggar. Christ later reveals himselfto Martin in a dream wearing the pieceof cloak he had given away.The relief, perhaps carved in the1460s, depicts St. Martin on horsebackbetween two trees in the act of cuttinghis cloak for the poor man. The sculpture,possibly once part of the decorationson the previous Gothic Church ofSan Martino, probably was relocatedduring Jacopo Sansovino’s completerenovation of the church in the 1540s.An inscription on the relief states thatthe relief was restored at the will of theparish priest in 1606.By the time the relief was restoredin 2005, the Istrian stone had darkenedand been stained, and small decorativeelements, such as St. Martin’s swordand foot, as well as a tree trunk, hadbroken off and been lost. Under thedirection of Emanuela Zucchetta of theSuperintendency of Monuments andFine Arts of Venice, the Ducale Restaurofirm cleaned the Istrian stone and consolidatedit with resins to prevent furthercracking and breakage. Chemicalanalysis of the stonework revealedno traces of gilding or polychromy.Restoration of the St. Martin relief wassponsored by The James R. Dougherty,Jr. Foundation.Top: The restored relief of St. Martin and theBeggar near the Church of San Martino.Above: The relief of St. Martin and the Beggar,before restoration.Last year, Save Venice sponsored therestoration of Jacopo Pontormo’s painting:Two Men with a Passage from Cicero’s“On Friendship,” perhaps the greatestFlorentine portrait in Venice.The panel, dated 1524, belongs tothe Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Galleriadi Palazzo Cini, in Venice. The timelyconservation enabled the portrait tobe one of the stars of the exhibition“Pontormo, Bronzino and the Medici:The Transformation of the RenaissancePortrait,” held at the PhiladelphiaMuseum of Art from November 2004through February 2005.According to the exhibition’s curator,Dr. Carl Strehlke, who requestedthat Save Venice sponsor the painting’srestoration, “The exhibition deals withportraits by the two Florentine mastersfor the Medici as well as for a closecircle of literary friends living betweenFlorence, Rome, Padua, and Venice fromthe 1520s – 1530s. The portrait ownedby the Cini Foundation shows the importanceof classical studies for these menas they hold a much-beloved passagefrom Cicero’s tract ‘On Friendship,’ thatexalted friendship over all other socialobligations and relationships, includinglove and family ones. This sort of friendshipunited humanist scholars from allparts of Italy. The relations between theliterary men of Venice and Florence wereparticularly close, and cemented by theexchange of not only correspondence,but also portraiture.”Jacopo Carucci, called Pontormo,was born in 1494 in Pontormo, a townin Tuscany. Orphaned, he moved tonearby Florence in 1507, where hestudied with Piero di Cosimo andAndrea del Sarto. Pontormo, who wasinfluenced by Michelangelo, producedsuperlative portraits and religiouspaintings in a distinctive Manneriststyle, known for its dramatic poses andcomplex compositions.Although the palette of thiscomposition is muted, even somber,Pontormo often infused his work withthe vibrant colors common in the workof Michelangelo. While his Deposition(1525 – 1528) in Florence’s Santa Felicità,is alive with pinks, greens, and blues,Two Men with a Passage from Cicero’s “OnFriendship” is molded from an almostmonochromatic starkness that focusesthe viewer’s attention on the over-all graphic shapes of the painting. Thecostumes of the two men almost meld,silhouetting them against the ocherbackground from which their portraitsemerge.This project was the first timeSave Venice has had the opportunityto restore a work by this prominentRenaissance artist who worked primarilyin Florence, where he died in 1556.This painting is also one of the mostimportant portraits of any period everrestored by Save Venice.Detail of the restored Two Men with a Passagefrom Cicero’s “On Friendship” by JacopoPontormo at the Galleria di Palazzo Cini.10 11

Boston EventsThe Boston Chapter continued a busyslate of events in 2004-05 under theable leadership of chairman Juan Prieto.Boston executive committee membersSusan Angelastro and Donald Freemanprovided invaluable creative and organizationalhelp for all of these events. TheAnnual Meeting was held on October19 at the Tavern Club. Prof. RafaelBras of the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology discussed Venice’s acqua alta(high water), environmental complications,and the engineering solutionspresently under construction.Lecture SeriesThe spring lecture series, revived lastyear by Juan Prieto, continued to drawlarge and varied audiences. On March29, at the Chilton Club, Daniel Stepner(baroque violin) and Laura Jeppesen(viola da gamba) presented a lectureperformanceentitled Musical Lights ofEighteenth-Century Veneto. On April 25at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, board memberFrederick Ilchman filled in at thelast minute when the lecturer was indisposed,delivering a talk entitled TheRestoration Process and Recent Successes inthe World’s most Fragile City. On May 25,the Chapter’s annual excursion to theCountry Club in Brookline, MA broughtthe season to a resounding conclusion.Patricia Fortini Brown, Chairman of theDepartment of Art and Archaeology atPrinceton University and a Save Veniceboard member, gave a brilliant lectureon Life in the Venetian Renaissance Palaceto a standing-room-only audience.Una Cena VenezianaThe tireless enthusiasm of BarbaraLloyd ensured a very successful blacktieevening, Una Cena Veneziana, thattook place at the Boston Athenaeumon November 14. Michael Romano ofNew York City’s Union Square Caféselected a Venetian menu paired withnorthern Italian wines and spoke ongrowing up with Italian cooking. Thefunds raised will help to restore AndreaVicentino’s painting Wedding at Cana inthe Church of San Trovaso. The manysatisfied guests look forward to Barbaramaking this an annual event.Top Left: Hal Caroll and Victoria Di Stefano. Top Right: Krishna Simonetti and Steven Scotford.Above: Alexandra Foster, Lacy Garcia, Tamar Salter, Victoria Reed, Frederick Ilchman, AllisonDrescher, Juan Prieto, Meredith Roy, Faye Higbie, and Hollis Colby.St. Mark’s Day GalaOn April 23, 2005 the Boston YoungFriends held their annual fundraisingparty and the first Saint Mark’s DayGala. Two hundred young Bostoniansin black-tie and masks, all supporters ofVenice, attended the festivities.For the second year, the Bostongroup relied on the kind sponsorship ofLux, Bond & Green. The Hartford basedcompany graciously provided elegantgifts for all attendees. On November4, 2004, at their Back Bay location, Luxhosted a reception, “La Notte Italiana,”to introduce Mario Buccellati and hisfine jewelry collection.The proceeds of this year’s eventwill go to fund the restoration of theSaint Helen Altarpiece by Michele diMatteo (c.1430 – 7), currently locatedRoger Farringtonin Room I of the Accademia Galleries(see pages 8 – 9). The Boston YoungFriends have raised the necessary fundsto finance the cleaning, stabilization,and consolidation of this impressivepainting, including the paint surface,the wooden panel support, and theelaborate gilded frame.Next year’s Young Friends eventwill be co-chaired by Frederick Ilchmanand Meredith Roy. Allison Drescher willremain as the chairman of the YoungFriends in Boston. Under her tenureof seven years of chairing the Bostonevent, the Boston Young Friends raisedin excess of $350,000.Roger Farrington Roger FarringtonMatteo De FinaVenice EventsLecture SeriesThe Venice lecture series, “VeneziaRestaurata,” sponsored by FrancescaBortototto and the Hotel Bauer, is nowdedicated to the memory of board member,Prof. W.R. Rearick, who foundedthe series in 2000.At the first lecture of the spring2005 series, held on January 31, RogerRearick’s friends and fellow art historiansFrederick Ilchman, Giovanna NepiScirè, Giandomenico Romanelli, AttiliaDorigato, Bernard Aikema, FrancesClarke, John Millerchip, and Nelli-Elena Vanzan Marchini affectionatelyremembered him with stories, tributes,anecdotes, and recollections of Rearick’slife dedicated to Venetian art.On March 10, Attilia Dorigato,Coordinator of Restoration in VeniceCivic Museums, spoke on the SaveVenice-sponsored restorations of sixpaintings belonging to the CorrerMuseum. Prof. Rearick personallyselected these works of art for conservationfrom the Correr deposits, convincedthat their restoration would contributeto the scholarship of Venetian artby providing clues that would clarifyquestionable attributions.The third lecture, on March 24,focused on the work of Paolo Veronese.Stefania Mason, professor of Art Historyat the University of Udine presentedVeronese’s mythological paintings. Thelecture was planned to coincide with aVeronese exhibition at Venice’s CorrerMuseum.Save Venice’s restoration of thefaçade of the Scuola Grande di SanMarco was the subject of the May 12lecture, given by Grazia Fumo, DinoChinellato, and Silvia Magnani of theSuperintendency of Monuments andFine Arts of Venice.California EventsOn September 15, Hutton and RuthWilkinson hosted an evening atDawnridge, the historic and beautifulhouse of the late designer TonyDuquette, for the major supporters ofthe California Chapter of Save Venice.They discussed plans for the upcomingCarnival Gala, which will take place inVenice from February 18 to February 21,2006. During the evening, two pledgeswere made for major underwriting.Cat Pollen, a long-time supporter ofSave Venice and a California Chapterstalwart, generously committed tounderwrite the Casanova evening atthe Ridotto, which will include dining,dancing, and traditional 18th-centurybetting games. Angie Barrett, visitingfrom Dallas, Texas, pledged to sponsorthe lectures and luncheon at the SanClemente Palace Hotel.A superb dinner was served andthere was great buzz and excitementat the prospect of experiencing carnivalin Venice. Many of those who havebeen to Venice scores of times havenot seen the famous spectacle. As ifthe carnival itself were not enough tolure one to magical Venice, the festivelunches, lectures, balls, and a specialtheatrical performance, written just forthis performance and underwritten byThe Walt Disney Company, should provideenticement to throw on a cape andmask and join in the fun. Many supportershave sent in their reservations,already making the event a successTerry Stanfill, Matthew White,Amanda Stonnington, and ShaneMcCoy, all co-chairs with HuttonWilkinson of February’s carnival, werein attendance as were many enthusiasticCalifornia Chapter supporters. Thegoal, as stated by the inimitable HuttonWilkinson, is to have every event fullyunderwritten so that all proceeds godirectly to Save Venice’s restorations.Many possibilities were discussed forreaching out to potential sponsors forunderwriting and to ask them to offerprizes for the best costumes. And nowthe work begins!Fulvio Zuliani and Save Venice Project Director,David Rosand, at the reception following theinauguration of the restored Scuola Grande diSan Marco façade. The façade was the topic ofthe May 12 lecture in the Venice series.New York EventsLecture SeriesThe New York Lecture Series was onceagain generously underwritten by a giftfrom the Hazen Polsky Foundation.On September 30, David B.Whitehouse, executive director of theCorning Museum of Glass, began thefall lecture series with Beyond Venice:Glass in Venetian Style, 1500-1750. Theslides shown allowed guests to seethe dramatic influence that Venetianglassware has had on numerous glassmakers.Eugene J. Johnson, the Classof 1955 Memorial Professor of Art atWilliams College, presented Inventing theOpera House on October 11. He providedinsight into the construction and creationof Venetian opera houses. On November11, Christopher Wood presented TheGlorious City – English Nineteenth-CenturyArtists in Venice. He showed the audiencemany remarkable depictions of Veniceby lesser-known artists.Frederick Ilchman opened thespring lecture series on February 8,with How Save Venice Saves Venice: RecentRestorations in the World’s Most FragileCity. Members were able to see many ofthe restorations to which their donationshad been applied. On March 23, JohnCarswell discussed the Feast of the Gods:The Porcelain Trade between China, Istanbul,and Venice. Using Giovanni Bellini’sThe Feast of the Gods as evidence, heillustrated for us the strong connectionbetween the cities, which were linkedby the porcelain trade. Our 2005 seriesclosed on April 14 with Patricia FortiniBrown, new Save Venice board memberand Chairman of the Department of Artand Archaeology at Princeton. In her lecture,Seen but not Heard from: RenaissanceChildren and their Visual World, she usedvarious works of art to explore the livesof Renaissance children.Young Friends Dinner atthe Jason McCoy GalleryOn June 3, 2005 the Jason McCoyGallery and Caroline Bassett generouslygave an intimate dinner for membersof the Young Friends of Save Venicestanding committee. Guests viewed thegallery’s collection, enjoyed an Italianmenu, and heard Stephen Cadwalader,Jackson Pollock’s nephew, speak aboutthe artist’s connection to Venice.12 13

Dolce Vita a VeneziaOn March 4, 2005, Save Venice andthe Young Friends of Save Venice celebrated1950s Italian glamour at theDolce Vita a Venezia benefit. Six-hundredguests gathered at Cipriani 42ndStreet in New York City for a festiveevening sponsored by Maserati NorthAmerica and Italian fashion designerRaffaella Curiel.To evoke the spirit and glamourof the period, two sleek Maseratiswere parked on 42nd Street. Inside,throughout the evening, guests viewedThe Sound of Venice, a beautiful filmcapturing the sounds and images ofVenice, while they took in the lavishlydecorated surroundings that evokedthe palm courts of the ‘50s. Womenwore elegant vintage gowns from thearchives of Gigliola Curiel and posedin front of a 1950 Maserati.Gala co-chairmen were MelvaBucksbaum, Hilary Califano, ElizabethStribling, George White, MariucciaZerilli-Marimò, and for the YoungFriends, Lauren Davis and TinsleyMortimer. The evening honored TerryStanfill, a longtime member of SaveVenice’s board and a leading memberof the California Chapter.Hugh Hildesley, Sotheby’s executivevice president and senior auctioneer,led the live auction. Auctionitems included the use of a Maseratifor a weekend, a VIP package for twofor the Formula 1 auto-racing GrandPrix du Canada in Montreal, a handcraftedsterling-silver picture framefrom Nardi, a gift certificate for theRaffaella Curiel Couture collection, ahand-blown Murano glass vase bySeguso Viro, and a luncheon and tourfor ten at Sotheby’s.The evening raised more than$450,000 for restoration projects in Venice.Top Left: Margherita Missoni in a vintage gown.Top Right: Joe and Hilary Califano, aco-chairman of the evening.Middle Left: Marco Mattiacci, Vice President ofMarketing for Ferrari Maserati North America,the evening’s sponsor, with fiancée Farah Dib.Middle Right: Francesca Stanfill Nye, Terry Stanfill,the evening’s honoree, and Ruth Wilkinson.Bottom Left: Raffaella Curiel, one of theevening’s sponsors, with Adelina Wong ina Curiel design, and Gigi Curiel.Bottom Right: Junior co-chairman Lauren Davis.Mary HilliardMary HilliardMary HilliardMary Hilliard Mary HilliardMary HilliardSave Venice on the ElbeOn August 24, Save Venice travelers metin Prague to begin a two-week excursion,which concluded on September 7in Berlin. Throughout the trip, guestsenjoyed lectures by historian John JuliusNorwich, art authority Andrew Oliver,Sotheby’s expert Edward Lee Cave, andmilitary historian John French.Four days in Prague includedvisits to the Jewish cemetery, the oldroyal palace, Saint Vitus cathedral, thefamous Strahof library, and the LoretaShrine. Guests were treated to a galadinner in Nelahozeves, an immensecastle over-looking the Vltava Riverbelonging to the princely Lobkoviczfamily. The highlight, however, wasa day in the country at Castolovice, aRenaissance castle and home of DianaSternberg Phipps.Leaving Prague, guests cruisednorthward on the Elbe River aboardthe Katharina von Bora, stopping firstin Freiberg and then in Dresden. Inthe Freiberg Cathedral, our groupattended a special organ concert withthe Freiberg boy’s choir. It was madepossible by Günter Blobel, who himselfwas a past Freiberg choirboy. InDresden, everyone was amazed by thedramatic changes the city has undergonesince its total destruction in WorldWar II. Highlights of Dresden includeda visit to the treasures of the GreenVault, a performance of Mahagonny atthe Semperoper, and visits to see themany treasures of the Zwinger Palace.Willem Van Dedem arranged for a tourof Volkswagon’s Transparent Factory.Günter Blobel and his wife, our boardmember, Laura Maioglio, entertainedeveryone at the Grossgarten Palais witha concert performed by a quartet fromthe Semperoper followed by refreshments.Evenings were often spent ondeck, enjoying the unspoiled riverlandscape of Saxony.Guests saw how porcelain wasmade in Meissen, picnicked in rowboatsin the romantic park of Wörlitz Castle,and visited the Bauhaus in Dessau. Theriverboat finally docked in Potsdam,where guests visited Frederick theGreat’s park and palace of Sanssouci.Special highlights were a visit, led bycurator Samuel Wittwer, to Frederick’sprivate library and the newly restoredChinese Tea House.The trip concluded in Berlin, withdays spent on architectural tours, museumvisits, and dinner on the roof ofthe Reichstag. We had the privilegeof dining at the American Academyin Berlin, courtesy of Marina KellenFrench, whose family donated to theAcademy their beautiful property, overlookingLake Wannsee. The final dinnertook place at the China Club, witha view of the dynamic and constantlychanging skyline of Berlin.Top: Marty Cox, Isabel Fowlkes, and HilaryCalifano on the roof-deck of the Katharina von Bora.Middle Left: Günter Blobel points out variousdetails of the Frauenkirche in Dresden.Middle Right: Pepe Esteve and Yanni Menoudakosenjoy the company of Amanda and BrookeStetson, Ashlyn and Carly Lovejoy, and CarolineStetson during lunch at Castolovice.Bottom Left: Prince Alexander of Saxony withBea and Bob Guthrie in Dresden, after a visitto his family vault in the Hofkirche.Bottom Right: Diana Sternberg Phipps signsher mother's book, The Journey, for John Day.14 15