Biblioteca Marciana- architect Jacopo
Sansovino (Beth Olry)
Venice
(1537-1553)
The
Biblioteca Marciana was named after the patron saint of Venice, Saint Mark, and
is a library that was built during the renaissance. The architect, Jacopo
Sansovino, was originally named Jacopo Tatti. He was an Italian sculptor and
architect that introduced the style of the High Renaissance into Venice, where
he died in 1570. He was born and baptized in Florence in 1486 and, some
considered, predestined for Venetian architecture.
Sansovino
was trained in Florence and remained active in Rome. He trained so many
sculptors that it was nearly considered a school of its own. Much of the extent
of the effect of Venice architecture can be attributed to his exceptional
skills.
The
Biblioteca Marciana is still one of the oldest surviving public document
depositories in Italy. Its importance to
the Renaissance is that it was essential to housing the limited supply of texts
that contributed to the reemergence of Classical philosophy and literature. The
ancient texts were primarily in Latin and Greek.
Cardinal
Basilios Bessarion bequeathed a significant collection to the Biblioteca
Marciana in 1468. This alone was quite fortunate for Venice and a mark of
distinction. Venice portrayed itself as the center of learning and Classical
knowledge by building the ornate library, playing a role as the leading center
of Greek studies.
Regarding
structure, there is complete and correct use of the Doric and Ionic orders that
pleased educated Venetians. The Vitruvian components exemplify Roman
iconography. Large Obelisks and naturalistic statues are reminiscent of
antiquity. Other notable symbols on the façade are keystone heads, and the
joining of engaged columns. This is demonstrative of the similarities between
other Roman structures, such as the Colosseum.
Palladio
describes it as the “richest and most ornate [building] since Antiquity, which
made Venice an extension of Rome.
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