Venice

December 27, 2011

Venice-palazzos_lg

On the Grand Canal in Venice, is the glorious fifteenth century Palazzo Dario with one of the most interesting window treatments I have ever seen.

Does it remind you of anything?

ruskin_sketch

This Palazzo and the marble window treatments and facade have been described as Byzantine. Similar marble facade treatments can be seen in paintings by Conegliano. The intertwined circles and “telephone dial” motif are evident in the marble floors and facade decoration of Venice’s most important landmark, San Marco. Here is a Ruskin’s sketch detail of the Palazzo Dario marble circles.