VENICE'S NEW CAMPANILE
The Venetian correspondent of the London Daily Mail writes : Venice continues to be deeply interested in the question of the rebuilding of the famous campanile of St. Mark and the repairs to the Palace of the Doges, the dilapidations of which were drawn attention to by the collapse of the campanile. The repairs to' the palace are- being carried on unremittingly. Last 'Saturday the famous painting by Palma, the younger, with ■the portrait of his wife, in blue, seated in heaven, below her purgatory and hell and above her prophets, was successfully taken down from the wall of the "Salle dello Scrutinio" (voting hall). The wall, which was concealed by the canvas, was found to be in a very bad state, requiring immediate rebuilding. To-day, under the direction of the painter, Signor Zennaro, will commence the delicate operation of bringing down from the eastern wall of the Great Council Hall the e&ormous and celebrated painting "Paradise," by Jacopo Tintoretto, with its extraordinary multitude of admirable heads and figures. Ruskin considered this oil-painting "the inosit precious thing Venice possessed." It will be entirely covered with gauze, and it is said that all the required precautions have been adopted to take it down safely. The entire wall which it covers requires also: immediate and radical repair. The project of reconstructing the campanile is a more difficult matter. The sudden resignation of Signor Beltrani, the architect, and his abrupt departure from Venice, after absolutely refusing to have anything more to do with the work, caused the greatest surprise. It is officially admitted, however, that surveys made after the laying of the foundation of the new campanile on April 25th revealed some weakness in the foundations.
The question is now being debated whether the old site shall not be deserted and the campanile built on new foundations. The matter will probably be referred to a committee of five experts.
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Bibliographic details
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8286, 15 September 1903, Page 1
Word Count
318VENICE'S NEW CAMPANILE Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8286, 15 September 1903, Page 1
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