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Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice - Pianta le Jeune
The Wood Sculptures of Francesco Pianta the Younger (Francesco Pianta il Giovane)
The titanic work of the Tintoretto should not blind us to the superb wood carvings by Francesco Pianta Il Giovane that decorate the lower part of the walls of the Chapter House.
The Fury They refer to Iconologia by Cesare Ripa, published in 1593, which inspired Baroque artists.
The work of Pianta the Younger was produced between 1657 and 1676.
To the right of the grand staircase is a statue of Mercury holding a scroll of parchment inscribed with the themes of the sculptures that decorate the walls of the Chapter House.
Mercury the messenger presents us with a list of the vices and virtues, to which are added the liberal arts such as sculpture, painting, music, rhetoric and poetry...
And invites us to meditate on the sculptures by Pianta the Younger.
To the left of the grand staircase four caryatids surround their mother L'Abondance in pairs, whom Pianta ironically depicted in the form of an emaciated old man, his mouth half-open and his torso bare, with a string tied around his waist and fruit on his lower stomach.
The Spy Moving from the right of the entrance door to the Albergo room, you will discover the whole series of sculptures that line the walls:
The Cunning
A helmeted warrior full of courage, with a chain on his chest (the seat of the heart, and therefore of love and courage among the ancients), signifying that courage is nothing without the intelligence and cunning of the strategist.Envy
A warrior looks at his neighbour (Cunning). A snake coils around his torso, bites his chest and poisons him.Hence the perversity of his feelings: jealousy and malice, accompanied by backbiting.
Below the two windows, the three theological virtues:
Faith, a veiled young woman carrying a chalice, Hope surrounded by peach leaves (which would symbolise immortality), and Charity with a child in her arms and another clinging to her skirts.Between the two windows is the very embodiment of Strength: Hercules, the demi-god.
The Melancholy
An ageless man with a blank stare, with the following words: “In ogni suo pensier, rimira il fine”, that is: he scans the depths of each of his thoughts.
The Spy At his feet, a bellows to fan the flame burning in a basin: the melancholic himself fans the flame that consumes him.
Honour
A bare-chested young man, his only clothing a chain and a laurel wreath.The following proverb can be read:
“Chi per honor impresta il suo denaro, di corona trofei altro son chiaro”.
The Greed
A man with his inkwell, his account books and his money. Greed, or the unbridled desire for possession.The Ignorance
The Spy A man with coarse features and a shaved head, with a bag (no doubt full of mistakes, superstitions and prejudices), and a donkey's head at his feet.
Science
An old scientist immersed in his reading, surrounded by books.The Anger
A young man blindfolded and with a tense face, surrounded by weapons.Scandal and Scrupulosity
A man in two minds, unsure whether he will be able to reveal what he knows, or do something serious, without regretting having caused a scandal.The sieve to sort out the good from the bad, the pros from the cons, and his amputated left hand, these are his handicaps to taking action.
Honest pleasures
The Painter, portrait of Tintoretto Or the leisure time of “the honest man” full of science and reason, lover of music and good wine: in vino veritas!
The Library
A true masterpiece of imitation, so much so that one would be tempted to extract one of his books to consult it.The quill and inkwell in the small room give the impression that they are still in use. A perfect illusion!
The Curiosity or the Spy
An Anonymous hidden under his cloak with a wide-brimmed hat pulled down over his face, decked out in objects that symbolise his efficiency and vivacity in knowing what's going on everywhere, at all hours of the day and night.The Venetian spy of the 17th century!
The Painter
This would be a portrait of Jacopo Tintoretto, it is placed just opposite the grand staircase.
The Painter, portrait of Tintoretto He observes his subject and appears extremely concentrated, spreading the thumb and forefinger of his right hand resting on a sheet of paper.
The master's brushes and colours are already ready.
Next to the altar two paintings by Titian: God and Angels and above all The Annunciation. As well as Christ Carrying the Cross, which was attributed to Giorgione.
By 1582, Tintoretto had already gone back to work on the large compositions on canvas for the Marian cycle in the ground floor room.
The first would be “The Adoration of the Magi”, and the last installed was “The Circumcision”.
History Art Scuola | Rivalries | Crucifixion | Pilate Ecce Homo Calvary | Official Painter | Snake | Moses Manna | Sin Isaac Jacob | Adoration Temptation Breads | Probatic Pool Last Supper | Olive Garden Resurrection | Pianta | Annunciation Adoration Flight | Innocents Circumcision
San Rocco History Art | Location | Opening Hours Tickets | Authorizations
Museums Doge's Palace | Guggenheim | Correr | Pesaro | Rezzonico | Murano | Accademia | Oriental | Ca d'Oro | Archeological | Querini | Bovolo | Pisani | Fortuny | Rocco | Marciana | Grassi | Dogana
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