Mocenigo a San Samuele Palace
palazzi - index
General remarks:
| Date: | 16th century, 17th century |
| Address: | San Marco 3328 (Casa Vecchia), 3348 |
| Current use: | private |
| Overview map: | locate |
Description:
Discussing the Palazzo Mocenigo, we are talking about four distinct buildings. The oldest one, Palazzo Mocenigo Casa Vecchia, is the rightmost and based on a gothic construction, which was remdodeld in the early 17th century by the architect Francesco Contin. Regarding the floor plan, the portego walls meet the façade in an angle of about 60 degrees, but despite of the form of the building area, the traditional division in three parts was kept. During the first world war, the palace was damaged by austrian bombs.
The two palaces in the Middle were for a long time attributed to Andrea Palladio. With the central serlianas, they may be dated into the second half of the 16 century. Both palaces have independent entrances, but the staircases, which are both built towards the shared wall of both buildings, are connected to each other and gain light from a small courtyard. Stucco works from the 18th century are conserved in the Mezzanine. In the 19th century the piano nobile was partially re-decorated. Large chimneys, which are visible on old engravings, do not exist anymore. The Mocenigo crest is to be found in the serliana arches.
The leftmost, Palazzo Mocenigo Casa Nuova, was erected probably at the end of the 16th century. Its style, miraculously much appreciated by John Ruskin, anticipates the austere venetian baroque and is distinguished from its neighbours by the limestone applied on the façade. One rooms conserves a ceiling fresco entitled "The glory of a Mocenigo and the banishing of vices" by Jacopo Guarana. In the 19th century buildings were erected in the vast garden behind the palaces. While the middle palaces and the Casa Vecchia belong to several different owners, the Casa Nuova is since 1878 property of the Robilant counts. For a significantly high price, the second piano nobile can be rented.
Monteverdi's 'Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda' and 'Proserpina rapita' were first performed in 1624 respectively 1630 in one of the palaces. In the 19th century, Lord Byron lived in the right of the middle buildings.
The second piano nobile of the Mocenigo Casa Vecchia palace is currently for sale, and the façade was recently restored.
Additional pictures:
A Mocenigo coat of arms in the serliana of a middle palace |  |
Related buildings
Literature
Wolters (2000) p. 149
Foscari, Antonio: L'invenzione di Palladio per un "sito piramidale" in Venezia, in: Arte Veneta XXXIII.1978, pp. 136-141
External resources
© 1999-2007 J.-Ch. Rößler
Venice architecture - palaces
