CODUSSI, Mauro

The fa�ade of this palace blends Byzantine forms with classic-antique elements, neglecting the traditional Gothic repertory, in an unusual manner for this era. The central five-mullioned window and the long windows with archivolts are embellished with low relief, marble cladding, polychrome tondi and large clypeus.

The palace was purchased in the middle of the 16th century by one of the oldest Venetian families, the Contarini family from the city of Jaffa.

This building represents a transition from the traditional Renaissance Venetian palaces to those influenced by Central Italian traditions. On the fa�ade the two perfectly identical upper floors are characterized by single or paired two-mullioned windows.

This palace is one of the masterpieces of the early Venetian Renaissance.

This building represents a transition from the traditional Renaissance Venetian palaces to those influenced by Central Italian traditions. On the fa�ade the two perfectly identical upper floors are characterized by single or paired two-mullioned windows.

This building is one of the main palaces along the Canal Grande. Mauro Codussi was commissioned by Andrea Loredan to construct the building which was to manifest the grandeur of his family. Construction began in 1481 and was finished after Codussi’s death by the workshop of the Lombardo family in 1509. Still divided vertically into three according to tradition, the fa�ade is striking for the force of the horizontal bands on the three floors and for the new magnificence obtained by the complete cladding in stone. The structure of the ground floor, more compact than the upper floors, is marked by the pilasters which frame the two large windows and the great water portal.

On the two upper floors, Codussi again proposes the theme of a central triptych flanked by a big window on each side. Corinthian columns, grooved on the first floor and smooth on the second, mark the fa�ade, giving it a controlled plastic quality. Crowning the fa�ade, over the trabeation, is a frieze decorated with a relief depicting eagles, unicorn, and shields with six roses, the symbol of the Loredan family.

The palace, which presently houses the Venice Casino, is remembered as the place where composer Richard Wagner died.

View the ground plan of Palazzo Loredan Vendramin Calergi.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 14 minutes):

Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser, overture

This building is one of the main palaces along the Canal Grande. Mauro Codussi was commissioned by Andrea Loredan to construct the building which was to manifest the grandeur of his family. Construction began in 1481 and was finished after Codussi’s death by the workshop of the Lombardo family in 1509. Still divided vertically into three according to tradition, the fa�ade is striking for the force of the horizontal bands on the three floors and for the new magnificence obtained by the complete cladding in stone. The structure of the ground floor, more compact than the upper floors, is marked by the pilasters which frame the two large windows and the great water portal.

On the two upper floors, Codussi again proposes the theme of a central triptych flanked by a big window on each side. Corinthian columns, grooved on the first floor and smooth on the second, mark the fa�ade, giving it a controlled plastic quality. Crowning the fa�ade, over the trabeation, is a frieze decorated with a relief depicting eagles, unicorn, and shields with six roses, the symbol of the Loredan family.

The palace, which presently houses the Venice Casino, is remembered as the place where composer Richard Wagner died.

View the ground plan of Palazzo Loredan Vendramin Calergi.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 14 minutes):

Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser, overture

Corinthian columns, grooved on the first floor and smooth on the second, mark the fa�ade, giving it a controlled plastic quality. Crowning the fa�ade, over the trabeation, is a frieze decorated with a relief depicting eagles, unicorn, and shields with six roses, the symbol of the Loredan family.

Mauro Codussi’s art is typified by this perfect, centrally-planned church. This is his last work which was completed only after the death of the architect by his son, Domenico.

Rebuilt by Mauro Codussi over an earlier structure, the church has a simple Renaissance fa�ade crowned with a distinctive semi-circular pediment. Codussi followed the Byzantine centrally planned layout of the earlier church and developed it into a simple, geometrical form typical of both classical and renaissance structure.

Patrons seized upon Early Christian as well as Byzantine models for much religious architecture in this period, as is evident at the monastery church of San Michele in Isola. It was rebuilt beginning in 1469 by Mauro Codussi, who came to Venice from the subject city of Bergamo and became an outstanding proponent of a new classical style. The fa�ade’s classically inspired pilasters and arched upper story, masking the side aisles and top of the nave, suggest Codussi’s acquaintance with Leon Battista Alberti’s designs for the Rimini Temple, but the general scheme may just as credibly derive from the traditional shape of Venetian parish church fa�ades, many of which culminated in arches over the nave and side aisles. The upper story is ingeniously modeled: the pilasters that frame the central portion of the fa�ade wrap around the corners to suggest piers, seemingly grasped by the moldings of the flanking arches; the arches themselves are embellished with fluting.

Two pilasters divide the fa�ade of the church into three sections that correspond to its internal layout of a nave and two aisles. The curve of the rounded pediment that surmounts the face is repeated in the seashell decorations of the two demi-lunettes. The round window in the middle is surrounded by four polychrome marble roundels. The lower part of the fa�ade is faced with smooth stonework.

Codussi designed the towering fa�ade of San Zaccaria, the interior of which was still Gothic in design, by taking into account the pre-existing lowest story, a sort of pedestal with rectangular paneling. On this he superimposed five stories in the new classical style. The proliferation of windows of differing sizes and proportions, the superimposition of orders utilizing different numerical systems between the second and third floors, and the stumpy proportions of the Corinthian colonnade on the fifth floor produce an effect of irregularity and improvisation. The lofty central arched pediment at the top and the quarter-circles mask the roofline on either side.

Codussi designed the towering fa�ade of San Zaccaria, the interior of which was still Gothic in design, by taking into account the pre-existing lowest story, a sort of pedestal with rectangular paneling. On this he superimposed five stories in the new classical style. The proliferation of windows of differing sizes and proportions, the superimposition of orders utilizing different numerical systems between the second and third floors, and the stumpy proportions of the Corinthian colonnade on the fifth floor produce an effect of irregularity and improvisation. The lofty central arched pediment at the top and the quarter-circles mask the roofline on either side.

The original building, built in 1260, was destroyed by fire in 1485. It was rebuilt under a new design by Pietro Lombardo. The fa�ade was completed by Mauro Codussi. This building, now a hospital, is among the main works of early Venetian Renaissance architecture.

At the close of the fifteenth century Codussi was busy on an important public commission, the Torre dell’Orologio (clock tower), which stands at the entrance to a long commercial street that leads off from San Marco and twists its way down to the merchant area of Rialto. Rather than build a simple bell tower, Codussi opted to use the idea of a triumphal arch: this one would have a single supporting arch topped by a square panel containing a clock face and a moving dial with the signs of the zodiac. The two upper orders are smaller in size but still on square bases. The first of these contains an aedicula with the Virgin, the other the lion of St Mark with Doge Barbarigo (destroyed). The attic is crowned by a balustrade which supports two bronze Moors who ring the hours. This was the earliest, basic structure of the Torre dell’Orologio.

The tower was, however, immediately enlarged in 1499 by the addition of two side wings, giving a total of four symmetrical spans. This modification helped to accentuate the aims set for the tower in terms of perspective and stage setting; it acts as a landmark both in the Piazza itself and for the visual line leading from the Molo (pier) to the start of the Mercerie, the busiest street in Venice, giving the impression of a truly theatrical backdrop.

At the close of the fifteenth century Codussi was busy on an important public commission, the Torre dell’Orologio (clock tower), which stands at the entrance to a long commercial street that leads off from San Marco and twists its way down to the merchant area of Rialto. Rather than build a simple bell tower, Codussi opted to use the idea of a triumphal arch: this one would have a single supporting arch topped by a square panel containing a clock face and a moving dial with the signs of the zodiac. The two upper orders are smaller in size but still on square bases. The first of these contains an aedicula with the Virgin, the other the lion of St Mark with Doge Barbarigo (destroyed). The attic is crowned by a balustrade which supports two bronze Moors who ring the hours. This was the earliest, basic structure of the Torre dell’Orologio.

The tower was, however, immediately enlarged in 1499 by the addition of two side wings, giving a total of four symmetrical spans. This modification helped to accentuate the aims set for the tower in terms of perspective and stage setting; it acts as a landmark both in the Piazza itself and for the visual line leading from the Molo (pier) to the start of the Mercerie, the busiest street in Venice, giving the impression of a truly theatrical backdrop.

In 1496 work began on a tower, commissioned by the Venetian republic, to house a new clock. It was designed by Mauro Codussi, the favoured architect for important public works. On a terrace at the top two Moors, cast in bronze by Ambrogio delle Ancore, turn stiffly at the waist to strike the hours with hammers. Below is a free-standing sculpture of the Lion of St mark set on an azure ground studded with stars.