Collection Online as of March 25, 2023

Pontifical Ceremony in SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1782

c. 1783

Part of a set. See all set records

Francesco Guardi

(Italian, 1712–1793)

Italy, 18th century

Oil on canvas

Framed: 69.2 x 87 x 11.4 cm (27 1/4 x 34 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.); Unframed: 51.4 x 68.8 cm (20 1/4 x 27 1/16 in.)

Gift of the Hanna Fund 1949.187.2

Location

not on view

Description

The second scene in the series depicts Pius VI celebrating mass in the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, one of the largest churches in Venice and the pope’s residence during his stay. The mass included a performance of the Te Deum, a prayer of thanksgiving set to music by the Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). Traditionally, the Te Deum was recited in thanks to God for a special blessing, including a papal election or a royal coronation, and thus was appropriate for this historic papal visit.

Provenance

Jakob Goldschmidt, Berlin, 1929, and New York;

[Galerie Matthiessen, Berlin, 1944];

[Jacques Seligman & Co., New York], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1949.

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 431 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 148 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 148 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 3. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: cat. 157A, p. 355 - 358

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 146 archive.org

Succi, Dario, and Francesco Guardi. Francesco Guardi.
Milan : Editoriale Giorgio Mondadori, 2021. Mentioned: p. 222; Reproduced: p. 226, fig. 8

Exhibition history

Springfield (Massachusetts), Museum of Fine Arts, 1937: "Francesco Guardi, 1712-1793," cat. nos. 5 and 6, repr.

San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1938: "Venetian Paintings from the Fifteenth through the Eighteenth Century," cat. nos. 35 and 36 repr.

New York, World's Fair, 1939; "Masterpieces of Art," cat. nos. 171 and 172.

Akron (Ohio) Art Institute, May 10-June 19, 1955: "Masterpiece Series," listed in program

Venice, Italy, Palazzo Grassi, June 5-October 10, 1965: "Mostra dei Guardi," cat. no. 142, repr. (Te Deum only sent to exhibition, with incorrect dimensions) (catalogue by Pietro Zampetti).

Palazzo Reale, Milan (11/10/2003 - 5/2/2004): "Il Gran Teatro del Mondo: L'Anima e il Volto del Settecento", ex. cat. no. II.56, p. 416-417.

Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Quebec (10/12/2013 - 1/19/2014) and Portland Art Museum, OR (2/15/2014 - 5/11/2014): "Splendore a Venezia: Art and Music from the Renaissance to Baroque in the Serenissima"

The Cleveland Museum of Art (02/25/2018-05/20/2018): "Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe"

Art: The International Language. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956).

In Memoriam: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-April 7, 1958).

Mostra dei Guardi. Palazzo Grassi spa, 30124 Venice, Italy (organizer) (June 5-October 10, 1965).

Il Gran Teatro del Mondo: L'Anima e il Volto del Settecento. Palazzo Reale, Milano, Italy (November 10, 2003-May 2, 2004).

Splendore a Venezia: Art and Music from the Renaissance to Baroque in the Serenissima. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (organizer) (October 12, 2013-January 19, 2014); Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (February 15-May 11, 2014).

Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 25-May 20, 2018).