URBANI, Andrea

The Room of the Astrea is named after the winged female deity on the ceiling, who is surrounded by putti and symbolizes the morning star.

The picture shows the ceiling with representation of Astrea at the centre.

The decoration of the portego is limited to the walls, on which there are three large landscapes set within ornate, faux architectural settings, also designed by Urbani. The west wall contains View of a Villa with a Pool and Landscape with Waterfall, while the opposite wall has View of a Large Renaissance Palace, divided into two parts by the staircase door. In the centre foreground of each landscape, on a trompe-l’oeil pedestal, is a faux-bronze statuary group representing the struggle between Good and Evil.

The wall decoration in the Room of Astrea is a continuum that covers the entire wall surface of the space, with the four different times of day depicted at the cardinal points. The north wall depicts Sleeping Eros with a Putto and Doves in a Starry Landscape; the east wall, a Landscape with a Stone Bridge and Isolated Cottage by the Light of Dawn; the south wall, a broad daylight scene with The Swan Attacked by Dogs; and the west wall, a Landscape with a Small Village and Fleeing Wolves at Sunset.

In the Chinese Room Urbani painted scenes depicting The Judgment of the Mandarin and The Mandarin’s Procession. The scenes are set within frames made up of faux marble and open metalwork that “break through” the actual walls, creating a faux Eastern-style pavilion that opens into the surrounding space and also extends to the ceiling and the short walls.

The picture shows the detail with the figure of the Mandarin.

In the Chinese Room Urbani painted scenes depicting The Judgment of the Mandarin and The Mandarin’s Procession. The scenes are set within frames made up of faux marble and open metalwork that “break through” the actual walls, creating a faux Eastern-style pavilion that opens into the surrounding space and also extends to the ceiling and the short walls.

The Mandarin’s Procession shows the figure of the Mandarin riding in triumph on an elephant.

The picture shows the detail with elephant.

The wall decoration in the Room of Astrea is a continuum that covers the entire wall surface of the space, with the four different times of day depicted at the cardinal points. The north wall depicts Sleeping Eros with a Putto and Doves in a Starry Landscape; the east wall, a Landscape with a Stone Bridge and Isolated Cottage by the Light of Dawn; the south wall, a broad daylight scene with The Swan Attacked by Dogs; and the west wall, a Landscape with a Small Village and Fleeing Wolves at Sunset.

The decoration of the portego is limited to the walls, on which there are three large landscapes set within ornate, faux architectural settings, also designed by Urbani. The west wall contains View of a Villa with a Pool and Landscape with Waterfall, while the opposite wall has View of a Large Renaissance Palace, divided into two parts by the staircase door. In the centre foreground of each landscape, on a trompe-l’oeil pedestal, is a faux-bronze statuary group representing the struggle between Good and Evil.

The decoration of the portego is limited to the walls, on which there are three large landscapes set within ornate, faux architectural settings, also designed by Urbani. The west wall contains View of a Villa with a Pool and Landscape with Waterfall, while the opposite wall has View of a Large Renaissance Palace, divided into two parts by the staircase door. In the centre foreground of each landscape, on a trompe-l’oeil pedestal, is a faux-bronze statuary group representing the struggle between Good and Evil.

The decoration of the portego is limited to the walls, on which there are three large landscapes set within ornate, faux architectural settings, also designed by Urbani. The west wall contains View of a Villa with a Pool and Landscape with Waterfall, while the opposite wall has View of a Large Renaissance Palace, divided into two parts by the staircase door. In the centre foreground of each landscape, on a trompe-l’oeil pedestal, is a faux-bronze statuary group representing the struggle between Good and Evil.

In the Chinese Room Urbani painted scenes depicting The Judgment of the Mandarin and The Mandarin’s Procession. The scenes are set within frames made up of faux marble and open metalwork that “break through” the actual walls, creating a faux Eastern-style pavilion that opens into the surrounding space and also extends to the ceiling and the short walls.

The “chinoiserie” motif had been fashionable in Venice since the early decades of the eighteenth century and was first employed porcelain decorations, then in many other craft forms.

The Room of the Astrea is named after the winged female deity on the ceiling, who is surrounded by putti and symbolizes the morning star. (The room is variously known as the Room of the Times of Day, the Room of the Hunt, and the Room of Astrea.)

The wall decoration in the Room of Astrea is a continuum that covers the entire wall surface of the space, with the four different times of day depicted at the cardinal points. The north wall depicts Sleeping Eros with a Putto and Doves in a Starry Landscape; the east wall, a Landscape with a Stone Bridge and Isolated Cottage by the Light of Dawn; the south wall, a broad daylight scene with The Swan Attacked by Dogs; and the west wall, a Landscape with a Small Village and Fleeing Wolves at Sunset.

This villa is typical of the Veneto Region with gardens and decorative murals. It was owned by the Grimani family for more than 200 years and bequeathed to the comune by its last private owner, Elena Vendramin Calergi (married Andrea Valmarana in 1826). It is now the seat of The Valmarana foundation named for her.

The villa underwent extensive renovations in 1757 on the occasion of the marriage of Francesco Vendramin Grimani Calergi and Bianca Morosini. This was the time when Andrea Urbani was engaged to fresco the portego (the large ground-floor room that traverses the building from front to back) and the seven rooms on the second floor.

The decoration of the portego is limited to the walls, on which there are three large landscapes set within ornate, faux architectural settings, also designed by Urbani. The west wall contains View of a Villa with a Pool and Landscape with Waterfall, while the opposite wall has View of a Large Renaissance Palace, divided into two parts by the staircase door. In the centre foreground of each landscape, on a trompe-l’oeil pedestal, is a faux-bronze statuary group representing the struggle between Good and Evil.