The Piazzetta, one of the “Twelve Etchings,” or the “First Venice Set”
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Description
The Piazzetta, from Twelve Etchings, or the
First Venice Set
1879–80
Etching and drypoint
Third state of five (Kennedy 189)
The Alfred E. Pernt Memorial Fund in honor of Dr. of Technical Sciences, Max H. J. Pernt and his wife Anna Pernt (née Mueller), 1987/2.41
The Piazzetta in front of the Doges’ Palace and immediately adjacent to St. Mark’s Square is one of the most well-known public squares in Venice, but Whistler chose to depict it from an unusual vantage point: the column in the foreground masks the Byzantine domes of the cathedral and the very oblique view of Sansovino’s Biblioteca Marciana obscures the identity of this familiar building. Indeed the only recognizable monument is the clock tower in the distance. This is as close as Whistler came to a standard view of the famous square.
Subject Matter:
Even in depicting the famous cathedral of St. Mark's with its grand piazza, Whistler provides an oblique view (in reverse) of this most famous Venetian public space. At the far end is visible the clocktower, the Torre dell'Orologio, while the facade and domes of the cathedral are nearly rendered unrecognizable by the obscuring placement of the column.
Physical Description:
A group of figures and pigeons lounge around the base of a column, which is unfinished in the upper portion of the plate. In the distance are a number of buildings of different styles that form a square where there are more people--and pigeons.
Usage Rights:
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