Artwork
Pontifical Ceremony in SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1782
Pontifical Ceremony in SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1782 is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Francesco Guardi. It dates from 1783 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1949.187.2
- Credit line
- Gift of the Hanna Fund
About this work
You see a crowded church filled with robed priests, flickering candles, and a pope in white at the altar.
You see a crowded church filled with robed priests, flickering candles, and a pope in white at the altar.
Guardi painted this scene just after the event happened, almost like a news photo. The pope had just been elected, and the painting shows the exact moment the Te Deum hymn was sung. The music was written by Vivaldi, who had died forty years earlier but was still famous in Venice.
If you like this kind of detailed crowd scene, look up italy, 18th century.
Overview
The second scene in the series depicts Pius VI celebrating mass in the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, one of the largest churches in Venice and the pope’s residence during his stay. The mass included a performance of the Te Deum, a prayer of thanksgiving set to music by the Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). Traditionally, the Te Deum was recited in thanks to God for a special blessing, including a papal election or a royal coronation, and thus was appropriate for this historic papal visit.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (Italian pronunciation:; 5 October 1712 – 1 January 1793) was an Italian painter, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School.
