Elizabeth Huff’s Blog

Currently I have an internship at the Adams Davidson Gallery in Washington DC working with the appraisal of fine art. I am working with the director of the gallery, Ted Cooper, who has so far taught me a lot about the appraisal process. The first thing I did was work with the templates for both fair market appraisals and replacement appraisals. We have also talked about condition but looking at paintings in the gallery under a UV light. Ted has given me my first major project now which is to create a fair market report for a portrait by the well known American artist, John Singer Sargent. The portrait is on Edward Burckhardt, a merchant who was living in Paris when the portrait was painted in 1880. He was Swiss, but was married to an American. Sargent is known to have painted a number of portraits of the Burckhardt family; this particular portrait is inscribed- To my friend Valerie, John Singer Sargent Paris, June 1880. Valerie is one of Edward Burckhardt’s daughters. The painting itself is in very good condition. It was probably done quickly though because the paint is very thin. Also a lot of the detail is blurry like his neck tie, ear, and beard. Below is a picture of the portrait:

I am now back at Mary Washington busy with all the forums that I have to prepare for, doing research for the numerous papers I am writing this semester, and working on a fair market appraisal for a portrait by John Singer Sargent. It is so hard that less then a week ago I was wondering around the streets of Venice– it seems a world away from Fredericksburg, VA (granted the scenery is vastly different)….The last leg of my trip was otherwise uneventful. I caught the train from the train station in Venice to Milan. The trip was about three hours long. My hotel in Milan was literally right next to the train station so that was convenient, but I was there for less then twenty-four hours. At 6am I got the bus, which leaves from the train station, to the airport, which is an hour outside of the city. Now that I really have time to reflect about the trip I am realizing how absolutely surreal it was to see those paintings in person. I had seen them before three years ago but seeing them again like this gave me a whole new appreciation for them. It was so cool to be able to stand so close to them and look at the details closely. It was also interesting to see the actual condition of the paintings. Another thing which I loved doing was seeing Carpaccio’s paintings at the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavonni because I had never seen those paintings before. Seeing those paintings really helped to show me how Carpaccio’s style and technique matured over the years from when he painted the St. Ursula cycle.

I just got back from visiting the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavonni. It is one of the few remaining scuole from the 15th century that still exist today because the majority of them, like the Scuola di San’ Orsola, were suppressed under Napoleonic Rule. The narratives of the lives of St. George, St. Jerome, and St. Tryphon, which make up a total of nine paintings were painted by Carpaccio between 1502-1507. It is interesting to see how Carpaccio’s painting has matured since he painted the narrative cycle of St. Ursula. The way he depicts narrative, the figures themselves, the textile designs, and even the way he goes about depicting the horses are just some of the ways in which his style has matured. He also includes a lot of Near Eastern influences in the works– an obvious reaction to Carpaccio’s exposure to the far off culture due to the the large amount of trade that were taking place between Venice and the East during the time. In a few of the paintings he incorporates a number of structures that can be linked to well known buildings in such places as Jerusalem, but he gives them some Venetian flare with the use of different colored marble. In the last painting—St. Jerome/ St. Augustine in his Study you can see the influence of Jan van Eyck with the use of depicting small specific objects such as the little dog in the center of the painting or books ect…These nine paintings are smaller in size then those of St. Ursula but you can see how the ones of St. Ursula would have been displayed– high up on the wall almost at the ceiling. Below them are wooden benches that scuole members would have sat on when coming together as a large group. The ceiling itself of the first floor room was ornately decorated with paint.

There was a small room to the right with a few paintings by later artists and then to the left of the main first floor room was a stair case up to the main second floor room. Like the downstairs room there were paintings that decorated the walls of the room– only these contained obvious portraits of the scuola members.

I really enjoyed going to go see this because, even though very small in size, it has a lot of cultural significance because it is so unique. It is definitely something that people should go see when visiting Venice if they have the time.

So today I went back to the Accademia and asked if they knew of anyone I could talk to about Carpaccio’s paintings but unfortunately they couldn’t tell me who would be the person to contact, but I still went in anyway to see the paintings again. On a side note– Giovanni Bellini paintings look like the portraits you see in the Harry Potter movies because the figures in them are so life-like. You just expect them to move from the positions they are in. I think it is because of how clear and crisp his paintings are and how realistic the colors are. I would attach a picture but it wouldn’t do it justice. Another thing I always notice when looking at Medieval and Renaissance art is that none of them knew how to paint babies. They always look so awkward and disproportional. Either their heads are to small for their bodies or their faces look to old.

What I observed about the Carpaccio’s today was mainly that in all the nine paintings no one is smiling. Everyone has a very solemn expression on– even those in the background. Though all the figures are unique in appearance their facial expressions aren’t. I had never noticed that before so that was pretty interesting. Though none of the architecture stands out it is funny because the clock in the background of The Arrival of the English Ambassadors is very similar to the one that is in the Piazza San Marco. The only problem though is that the narrative cycle was painted prior to when they added the clock in San Marco. Though I don’t think they are self-portraits of Carpaccio, in a number of the larger paintings there is usually a male figure that looks out directly at the viewer. In all cases the figure has dark hair and is usually wearing dark clothes. I haven’t read anything about Carpaccio incorporating his portrait in the works but it is an interesting thought because there were a number of artists who did include their portraits into their works in subtle ways.

Besides looking at the St. Ursula cycle I also stopped by the room right before that where all the narrative paintings of procession scenes are located. Looking at Carpaccio’s Healing of the Possessed Man, you barely see the healing of the Possessed Man because it is such a minor factor in the overall painting. Carpaccio predominantly paints everyday life in Venice instead and the main subject is just a small aspect to the left hand side. What is neat is that he depicts the Rialto Bridge when it was covered and made of wood during the 15th century because it hadn’t been reconstructed to it’s current state at that point. What is also interesting is that in the entire paintings which is made up of a lot of figures there are only to woman that can easily be identified in the entire work. I love the dog that sits on the edge of the boat that is depicted in the foreground. 

On the street where my hotel is located there are four mask shops and everytime I walk by them I cant help but admire how beautiful and unique each mask is. Each mask is unique and hand made right there in shop, for ff go into any one of the four shops you will also find a man or woman sitting behind a desk intensly painting a new one. After walking by these shops I started to wonder about what significance these masks have on Venetian culture anymore.

Back in the 17th and 18th centuries when Casanova freely roamed the streets of Venice, the celebration that normally only lasts only ten days before Lent, Carnevale lasted for up up to six months. It was a non-stop of parties and gambling, where, safe behind the universally worn masks the wealthy and common people could inter-mix and induldge in behavior that would otherwise be looked down upon.

Today on the first Saturday there is a masked procession and party in the Piazza San Marco, followed by the volo dell’angelo (the flight of the Angel) the next day. The flight of the Angel consists of a female acrobat swooping down on a wire from the top of the campanile to the Piazza below. That following Thursday, Giovedi Grasso, is when there is a competition for best costume. Then on Friday a masked ball in the Piazza San Marco followed by a masked gondola procession on the Grand Canal. Ultimatly the celebration ends that following Tuesday with fireworks and entertainment all over the city.

So I guess even though it is not a sixth month celebration anymore there is a need still for these artisan mask makers that can be found throughout the city…..

So my mom recommended that I spend the extra money and sit out and have coffee in one of the cafes that is located right on Piazza San Marco but after today I have second thoughts……while walking back from the Accademia I had to cut through San Marco to get to my hotel. Because of the rain there were fewer people then normal and most of the stations that sell pigeon food had left leaving the millions of fat pigeons only one sole pigeon food cart that people can buy a handful of food from. Being someone who is not the biggest fan of birds after watching Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, I don’t know what would possess anyone to want to do that and have birds fly all over you…but there were two girls today that decided to do this San Marco pastime only because there was only one cart selling food every single pigeon (which was in the hundred if not more) was around them….so if I do chose to sit outside at a cafe I think I might pass at the pricier San Marco cafes and instead go to one that is located in a campo or piazza that doesn’t have zillions of pigeons swooping down at you….I have found some images online that illustrate what I have just written about…..

These are images of the art I recently bought from a gallery that I found while walking around. The top image is an original and the bottom image is a reproduction (45/500). They are by Gianfranco Missiaja– a Venetian artist. I love the picture of the woman in front of the Bridge of Sighs because to get to any of the main points of interest from my hotel I have to walk over a smaller bridge that has a direct view of the Bridge of Sighs. It is really beautiful at night when it is all lit up!!! So anyway I thought I would share these because I am really excited about them!!!

Today I planned on going to the Scuola di San Girorgio degli Schiavoni to see later paintings by Carpaccio of the lives of St. George, St. Tryphon, and St. Jerome and then go to San Giovanni e Paolo where the Scuola di’ San’ Orsola was thought to be originally located before Napoleon had all scuole and confraternities supressed. Due to how cloudy it was I decided to change my plans though because both of those two places require sunny days because they are already dimly lit. So I decided to go over to the San Palo area to see the Museum of Textiles and Costume.

The Museum of Textiles and Costumes is off the “beaten path” you could say. It is housed in the Palazzo Mocenigo where the Mocenigo family lived until they gave the Palazzo to the city of Venice in the 20th century. Though it mainly focuses on 17th and 18th century costumes, it was still really interesting to see both the costumes and the architecture itself. The museum is located on the Piano Nobile which is the main floor of a Palazzo. In the case of Venetian Palazzo’s the Piano Nobile is located on the second floor. The rooms on the Piano Nobile are usually the grandest– as this was where guests were greated and entertained as well as where the bedrooms were located. So it was interesting to be able to see what the typical layout was of a Palazzo. The costumes were beautiful and in great condition, but as I said before they were all from the 17th and 18th centuries. Compared to what Venetians would have worn during the 15th and 16th centuries these costumes were considered less militaristic and had more freedom. Though I dont know how wearing a corset like the ones these ladies wore is considered to be more free. The mens costumes on the other-hand incorporated my lace work and design– making them closer in style to the ladies dresses. It was amazing to see all the detail and embroidery that was applied to even the buttons!! I’m sure at the time the people of the 17th century never thought their clothes would be admired in a museum– but it is even harder to belive that there is always the possibility that our clothes will one day be in a museum centuries from now….GASP!!!

After I left the museum I walked back in the direction of the Rialto Bridge till I go to the Traghetto, which is an oversized gondola of sorts which crosses the width of the Grand Canal at several spots for a cheap fair. Normally the Traghetto is pretty easy but today was a little tougher because you stand in the boat and the wind was a little rough. But anyway— It was cool that I decided to take the Traghetto because I had to walk through Venice’s major open fish, vegetable, and fruit market– the Pescheria. The market actually makes a cameo in the most recent James Bond when they have just arrived in Venice and Vesper Lynd is taking pictures and sees a man she recognizes on the bank walking through a busy market. Well needless to say being the James Bond fan that I am I recognized it right away and of course took a picture of it once I got to the other side of the canal. See Mom— there actually is a reason for why I need to watch them as many times as I do…..It was the last time in Venice that I was able to find the Palazzo that they used in the opening seen of the Italian Job– the only one with a front garden and a smaller canal on the left-hand side when looking at it from the Grand Canal.

Once over on the Cannaregio side of the canal I only had to walk a little bit to the Ca’ d’ Oro, which is also a museum that is located in a grand Palazzo. The Ca’ d’ Oro, Golden House, is easy to pick out from the Grand Canal because of its beautiful Gothic-style loggias. The Palazzo itself , which remains the finest Veneto- Byzantine Gothic monument in Venice after San Marco, was built between 1420 and 1434 by Bartolomeo Bon. The museum itself is made up of pieces of sculpture and paintings that were retrived from Churches, Scuole, and other institutions that were supressed during Napoleonic rule as well as a number of paintings by Flemish artists such as Jan Steen, Adriaen Van Ostade, and Hubert and Jan van Eyck. The works that I was most interested in though was the three paintings from the Mary cycle that Carpaccio painted for the Scuola degli Albanesi sometime after 1502. Because the Scuola had been supressed by Napoleonic rule like some many others, the cycle was broken up so today parts of the cycle can be seen in Milan and Bergamo. The three paintings that hang in the Ca’ d’ Oro though are– The Annunciation, The Visitation, and The Death of the Virgin. It is no wonder that I love Carpaccio’s work so much– he includes all these different animals throughout all his paintings…Another work that was cool to see was Andrea Mantegna’s San Sebastino. This was the last work that the artist did before he died.

By the time I left the Ca’ d’ Oro it had gotten much colder but I decided to walk down to the Accademia bridge to possibly go to the Puntolaguna, which is a mutimedia information center that is all about what is being done to safeguard Venice. By the time I got there is had started to rain a little and I couldn’t find it so I went to a cafe and got lunch and decided to just try again later when I am back over in that area on another day.

So now I am back in my room. It has started to rain harder. Last night– the opera performance I went to was amazing. A tenor and soprano sang a number of favorite pieces from different operas. It was really something different and fun to do!!! Though probably very touristy, I would recommend it to anyone who visits…

I think because I am not able to run, I am making up for it in the amount of walking that I am doing….

Today I decided to dedicate entirely to The Gallerie dell’ Accademia. So I walked over to the gallery through the somewhat empty San Marco and then across the Accademia Bridge. Unlike yesterday which was pretty overcast and foggy today was sunny and somewhat warm. Currently it is hard to even recognize the gallery because the whole facade is under construction, but I bought my ticket and audio guide and went in. For a museum with such an amazing collection of primarily Venetian art it is a shame that the majority of the museum is in disrepair. I walked around looking at many of the great paintings were talked about in classes that I have taken such as art of the High Renaissance and the seminar on Venice. Works such as Giovanni Bellini’s San Giobbe Altarpiece, and Pieta, Giorgione’s The Old Woman and La Tempesta, Veronese’s Christ in the House of Levi, Gentile Bellini’s Procession in San Marco, and of course works by Carpaccio which included not only the Narrative Cycle of St. Ursula, but also Miracle of the Cross at the Rialto and Presentation of Christ in the Temple.

It is amazing how seeing these works in person makes all the difference. In the books the pictures are all about the same size and you have no idea how massive Vernonese’s Christ in the House of Levi actually is. You also can’t see how fine a brushstroke these artists were using– so fine that you can’t even see it. Seeing Carpaccio’s paintings in person made a big difference just because of the immense detail that he incorporates into the paintings. Every time you look at his paintings you see a new element of detail that you didn’t see before.The Narrative Cycle of St. Ursula is it its own room arranged in what is thought to be it’s original order. Though not as big as Vernonese’s Christ in the House of Levi, the canvases are still very large in size. Unfortunately parts of them aren’t in the best condition but nothing that can be noticed in photographs– just noticeable when looking at them up close in person.

The last thing that I looked at was a special exhibition on Titian’s late period. After spending about two hours or so at the Accademia I walked through the Dorsoduro area of Venice. I decided to get lunch at a family favorite Trattoria della Dona Onesto and then I continued walking toward the Rialto Bridge. During my walk I was able to find a shop we had found the last time I was here that sells the most beautiful Murano glass– Vetri Artistica- Dona Maria Luisa, which is located in the San Polo area.You can tell when you get close to the Rialto Bridge becasue all of a sudden the crowds pick up and the shops begin to sell the same things- masks, cheap Murano glass, post cards, key chains ect….also there are hoards of Japanese tourists everywhere. Sometimes when crossing a small canal you can look down and see a whole chain of gondolas carrying four or five Japanese in each boat, snapping away with their cameras. The one thing I can say about the Japanese is that you know where the best place to take a picture is by where they are all standing.

Tonight I am going to see a performance of Vivaldi and Opera which includes twelve different songs from popular operas such as “Olimpiade”, “Rigoletto”, and “La Boheme” by both Vivaldi and others….