The Palazzi Barbaro, also known as Palazzo Barbaro, Ca’ Barbaro, and Palazzo Barbaro-Curtis, are a pair of adjoining palaces in the San Marco district of Venice, Italy, located on the Grand Canal near the Ponte dell’Accademia and adjacent to Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti. These historic buildings, originally the residence of the noble Barbaro family, represent a fascinating blend of Venetian Gothic and Baroque architecture, reflecting Venice’s evolving aesthetic and cultural landscape from the 15th to the 17th centuries. Renowned for their architectural significance, well-preserved interiors, and later role as a hub for American and European artistic life in the late 19th century, the Palazzi Barbaro offer a rich tapestry of history, art, and cultural exchange.
The Palazzi Barbaro trace their origins to the early 15th century,
when the older palace, Palazzo Barbaro-Curtis, was constructed around
1425. This period marked Venice’s ascendancy as a maritime and
commercial power, with noble families like the Barbaro amassing wealth
through trade, particularly in salt, and serving the Republic in
high-ranking positions. The Barbaro family, known for their intellectual
pursuits and loyal service to the Venetian state, acquired the palace in
1465 through Zaccaria Barbaro, a Procurator of St. Mark’s. By 1797, the
palaces were owned by Senator Zuanne Barbaro, reflecting their continued
prominence.
The Barbaro family’s lineage ended in the mid-19th
century, leading to a period of neglect during which speculators
purchased the palaces and auctioned off valuable furnishings and
artworks, including Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s masterpiece, The
Glorification of the Barbaro Family, now housed in the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York. In 1881, the older palace was rented by
Daniel Sargent Curtis, a Bostonian relative of painter John Singer
Sargent, who purchased it in 1885 for $13,500. Daniel and his wife,
Ariana Wormeley Curtis, restored the palazzo, transforming it into a
vibrant center for American and European intellectuals and artists,
known as the “Barbaro Circle.” This group included luminaries such as
Henry James, John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, Claude Monet,
Robert Browning, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Bernard Berenson, Edith
Wharton, and Charles Eliot Norton.
The Curtis family’s
stewardship marked a new chapter for the palazzo, preserving its
architectural integrity and fostering a transatlantic cultural dialogue.
The palaces have remained in the Curtis family’s hands, with recent
structural restorations ensuring their longevity. They have also served
as a backdrop for films and television, including the 1981 series
Brideshead Revisited and the 1997 film adaptation of Henry James’s The
Wings of the Dove.
Situated at San Marco 2840, the Palazzi Barbaro occupy a prime
position on the Grand Canal, one of Venice’s most iconic waterways.
Their proximity to the Ponte dell’Accademia and neighboring palaces like
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti and Palazzo Benzon Foscolo makes them a
striking feature in the canal’s picturesque landscape. The palaces are
not typically open to the public, as they remain privately owned by the
Curtis family’s descendants. However, occasional guided tours are
offered through organizations like Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI), often
requiring membership or special arrangements. Visitors are advised to
check with local tour operators or websites like www.slow-venice.com for
opportunities to visit, as access is rare and highly sought after.
The palaces’ entrance is through a courtyard accessible via an
external staircase, a feature typical of Venetian palazzi. The
courtyard, recognizable from Brideshead Revisited, adds to the palaces’
allure, though a locked gate often restricts entry. Photography inside
is generally prohibited, preserving the privacy of the interiors.
The Palazzi Barbaro consist of two distinct structures, each
reflecting a different architectural style and era, seamlessly
integrated to form a cohesive complex.
Palazzo Barbaro-Curtis
(1425, Venetian Gothic)
Architect: Giovanni Bon (or Bartolomeo Bon),
a master stonemason known for his work on Venetian Gothic landmarks like
the Ca’ d’Oro.
Style: Venetian Gothic, characterized by Byzantine and
Moorish influences, with delicate arches and intricate tracery.
Construction: Built around 1425 for the noble Spiera family, acquired by
Zaccaria Barbaro in 1465.
Facade: The facade is a classic example of
15th-century Venetian Gothic, featuring:
Two pointed-arch portals at
the ground floor (one ogival, one rectangular).
Two quadrifore
(four-light windows with pointed arches) on the piani nobili (noble
floors), framed by stone quadrangles, with shallow balconies.
Single
monofore (single windows) flanking the quadrifore, each with small round
medallions between them.
A mezzanine and later attic addition, with
smaller rectangular windows.
A colonnade of pointed arches on the
side, partially bricked up over time.
Interior: The older palace
served as a merchant’s home, combining warehouse, office, and living
quarters. The portego (central hall) on the first floor is subdivided,
while the second piano nobile retains wall paintings, though its ceiling
frescoes were sold after 1797. A Renaissance portal was added to the
main facade in the 16th century, modifying the mezzanine and water
floor.
Courtyard: An open stairway, built on a brick wall rather than
stone arches, leads to the entrance hall, a feature distinguishing it
from other palazzi like Palazzo Soranzo-van Axel.
Palazzo Barbaro
(1694–1698, Baroque)
Architect: Antonio Gaspari, a leading
17th-century Venetian architect known for Ca’ Zenobio degli Armeni.
Style: Baroque, characterized by grandeur, symmetry, and ornate
detailing.
Construction: Commissioned in 1694 as a separate residence
for the Tagliapietra family, later leased and sold to the Barbaro family
around 1700. Gaspari expanded it with two additional stories to
accommodate a grand ballroom.
Facade: The Baroque wing contrasts with
the Gothic structure, featuring a more restrained exterior with
rectangular windows and a focus on interior opulence.
Interior: The
centerpiece is the magnificent Baroque ballroom on the second piano
nobile, praised by Henry James as the finest example of a Venetian
Baroque interior. Key features include:
Wall and ceiling decorations
by artists like Sebastiano Ricci and Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini
(Piazzetta’s contributions are also noted in some sources).
A rich
stucco design, though Tiepolo’s The Glorification of the Barbaro Family
fresco was removed and relocated to the Metropolitan Museum.
The
ballroom’s integration with the older palace, creating a unified noble
floor.
Library: A third-floor library, created in the 18th century,
features a stucco ceiling and housed Tiepolo’s fresco until its removal.
This room, where Henry James slept and worked, remains untouched,
complete with his writing desk.
The palaces’ interiors blend Gothic
simplicity with Baroque extravagance, with original Baroque furniture,
paintings, and plasterwork preserved in some areas. The Curtis family’s
restoration in the 1880s addressed structural damage and spoliation,
ensuring the survival of these features.
The Palazzi Barbaro have undergone several restoration phases:
19th Century (1880s): Daniel and Ariana Curtis undertook a
comprehensive restoration, repairing damage from neglect and
speculators. Their efforts preserved the Gothic facade, Baroque
ballroom, and key interiors.
2000–2001: The facade was fully restored
and repainted, enhancing its visual harmony with the Grand Canal’s
scenery.
Recent Decades: Structural restorations, funded by the
Curtis family, have maintained the palaces’ integrity, with the exterior
and key interiors like the ballroom and library carefully preserved.
These efforts have ensured that the Palazzi Barbaro remain one of
Venice’s least altered Gothic palaces, as noted by architectural
historians.
The Palazzi Barbaro are not only architectural treasures but also
cultural landmarks, particularly for their role in the late 19th-century
“Barbaro Circle.” This group of artists and intellectuals transformed
the palazzo into a transatlantic salon, bridging Venetian and American
cultural traditions. Key contributions include:
Henry James:
James, a frequent guest, completed The Aspern Papers (1888) at a desk
still housed in the library and drew inspiration for The Wings of the
Dove (1902), describing the ballroom as “Palazzo Leporelli.” His
letters, collected in Letters from the Palazzo Barbaro (1998), celebrate
the palace’s ambiance, particularly the library where he slept in a
four-poster bed with mosquito netting.
John Singer Sargent: In 1898,
Sargent painted An Interior in Venice, a group portrait of the Curtis
family in the salon, capturing the palazzo’s refined atmosphere. His
relative, Daniel Curtis, facilitated his connection to Venice’s artistic
scene.
Isabella Stewart Gardner: Gardner, who rented the palazzo
seasonally from the Curtises, fell in love with its architecture and
modeled her Boston residence (now the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum,
opened 1903) on its courtyard and Gothic aesthetic. Her 1894 portrait by
Anders Zorn was painted at the palazzo, and she hosted artists like
Harper Pennington and Joseph Lindon Smith, as well as writers like
James.
Other Figures: Claude Monet visited in 1908, painting views of
the Grand Canal, while Robert Browning read from his final poetry
collection in the red room shortly before his death. Whistler, Berenson,
Wharton, and Norton contributed to the palazzo’s reputation as a
creative hub.
The palazzo’s artistic legacy extends to its use in
media, notably as Lord Marchmain’s residence in Brideshead Revisited
(1981) and a setting in The Wings of the Dove (1997). Its interiors,
particularly the ballroom and library, remain evocative of this golden
era.
Visiting the Palazzi Barbaro is challenging due to their private
ownership. When open, typically through FAI-guided tours (in Italian),
visits focus on the entrance hall, ballroom, and red room, though the
library is often excluded as it belongs to a separate apartment owned by
Patricia Curtis, a descendant. Tours highlight the palazzo’s history,
architecture, and artistic connections, with guides often emphasizing
the Curtis era. Visitors are struck by the ballroom’s grandeur and the
intimate scale of the Gothic interiors, though some express
disappointment at limited access or the lack of photography.
The
palaces’ location on the Grand Canal offers stunning views, especially
from the Ponte dell’Accademia, where the Gothic facade stands out
against the backdrop of the Santa Maria della Salute. Nearby
attractions, such as the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Palazzo Zaguri, and
Chiesa di San Vidal, make the area a cultural hub. Tripadvisor reviews
praise the palaces’ picturesque setting and historical significance,
ranking them among Venice’s top 10% of attractions.