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A striking hand-colored engraving of Venice, this work by Giovanni Antonio Remondini, dating to approximately 1770, furnishes a vibrant landscape view of the city. It is an embodiment of the viewmaking and artistic traditions of 18th-century Italy and reflects the historical and cultural grandeur of Venice, offering an enumeration of seventy significant places within its urban fabric.
The engraving mirrors the rich tapestry of Venice in the 18th century, a time of political transformation and cultural flourishing. As the Republic of Venice navigated the changing tides of European politics, the city remained a beacon of architectural magnificence and artistic prowess. Remondini, a prominent publisher and printmaker of the time, presents a panoply of notable landmarks, churches, and institutions, providing a unique perspective into the city's layered historical and architectural landscape.
Featuring a langthy key, the work lists multiple sites such as churches, monasteries, and significant architectural landmarks, ranging from "S. Blasius Catoldus" to "S. Johanes Baptista." This detailed enumeration illustrates the artist's meticulous attention to the city's layout, its socio-cultural life, and spiritual framework. The featured landmarks reflect the deeply ingrained Catholicism of the city's residents and underscore the Church's significant role in Venice's societal and architectural narratives.
The hand-coloring technique further enhances the charm of Remondini's piece, endowing it with a vibrant visual appeal. This method, prevalent in the 18th century, involved the application of watercolor to prints, adding depth and nuance to the monochrome etchings. The resulting image is a stunning representation of Venice, its waterways and edifices rendered in hues as captivating as the city's historical legacy.
![[Piazza San Marco / Great Fire of 1577] Augusti apud Venetos templi D. Marci accuratissima effiguratio [with] Palatii senatorii apud Venetos conflagratio](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/86104.jpg)
