2012
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Picture of the Week
2012 |
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We start this new section
where every week a different picture will be showcased.
Occasionally, there will be a second picture for you to
identify.
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The answer will be posted
the following week, but if you do not want to wait, you
can always e-mail me at:
sestiere@aloverofvenice.com (your e-mail address will not be published or shared) |
The modern stained glass window is inspired by a centuries old Greek icon of the Nativity and highlights that special place that Byzantium and the East had in Venetian history. This Nativity does not look anything like the typical scene seen in Roman Catholic churches. The Theotokos, or Mother of God, is at its center, reclining rather than kneeling. Baby Jesus, all swaddled up and looking more like a toddler than a newborn, is at her side. The donkey and the ox, although not mentioned in the New Testament, are familiar participants of most Nativity scenes. They make reference to Isaiah 1:3, "The ox knows his master, and the donkey his master's crib; but Israel does not know me, and the people have not considered me". Perhaps the most peculiar element of this scene is a troubled Joseph, removed from the central figures and looking into the void. He may be pondering an uncertain future or trying to understand the miracle of the birth. To the left, the bath is ready for the Baby. |
Below is a copy of an exquisite plaque depicting a similar scene (10th or 11th cent.) The original can be found at the Vatican Museums and may have been the inspiration for the stained glass window. "The Birth" is written in Greek in the upper right corner. A few more allegorical elements are present in this image. From the star, a heavenly messenger that announces the birth of Jesus, a ray of light shines directly on the Baby's head. Angels sing their praise to the Newborn, among shepherds and animals. The humanity of Jesus is indicated by the bath given by the two women. The Nativity sprouts from the Tree of Jesse fulfilling the Scriptures, Isaiah 11:1-2, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him..." Jesus was born to the House of David, King of Israel and Judah and the son of Jesse. |
| Although their
origin is still a subject of controversy, chemical
analysis indicates that they date from the second
century BC. Made almost entirely of copper (more than
97%) rather than bronze, the only surviving quadriga
from the ancient world still exhibits an exquisite
gilding. They are now protected inside the Basilica of
San Marco but they were exposed to the elements for
centuries. Most likely built by the Romans rather than the
Greeks, as once thought, but with clear Greek influence
as evidenced by the cropped manes, they stood atop the high tower of the Hippodrome
in Constantinople. They traveled to Venice in 1204 as
spoils of the Fourth Crusade. They were placed in the
loggia, atop the main portal of San Marco, in the middle
of the fourteenth century. They were lowered by the
French in 1797 and transported to Paris where they first
decorated the entrance to the Tuileries Palace and then
the newly erected Arch of Carrousel. In 1815, thanks to
Canova's intervention, they were brought back to Venice,
crossed the lagoon on a raft, were restored at the
Arsenal, and reinstalled in the loggia. They were
lowered again in 1915 at the beginning of the First
World War, moved to Rome for protection in 1917, in a
complicated journey by boat and by train, and housed
first at Castel Sant' Angelo and later at Palazzo
Venezia. They were brought back to Venice in 1919. They
were lowered once again in
1940, and this time stored in the
Palazzo Ducale until the end of the Second World War.
Between 1979 and 1982 they (or at least one of them, the
second from the left) traveled the world. They have been
to London, New York, Mexico City, Milan and Berlin.
Today, iron replicas adorn the front of the Basilica
while the real ones seem to smile at us in their cozy
corner in the Basilica's museum. Electronic analysis
indicated that the scoring on their breasts, necks and
faces was deliberate, most likely to reduce glare. |
 Love at first sight
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 First date
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 The wedding
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 First kiss
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 Making love
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 Having a child
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 Raising the child
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 Mourning the child
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