1783
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Pontifical Ceremony in SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1782 is a 1783 unspecified by Francesco Guardi, a Rococo painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
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*.
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.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (Italian pronunciation: ; 5 October 1712 – 1 January 1793) was an Italian painter, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School.
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