The Doge Carried around the Piazza San Marco

Art Historical Context

This striking print captures a grand ceremonial procession in Venice’s Piazza San Marco, where the Doge—the elected ruler of the Venetian Republic—is carried aloft in a ceremonial chair amid a throng of officials, clergy, and onlookers. Created between 1763 and 1766 by Giovanni Battista Brustolon after an original design by Canaletto, the image preserves the splendor of 18th-century Venetian civic life. Canaletto’s celebrated vedute (city views) were prized for their luminous detail and atmospheric precision; Brustolon’s faithful translation into print extended that vision to a broader audience. Executed in etching and engraving on laid paper, the work demonstrates the refined reproductive techniques of the period. Fine lines and subtle tonal gradations convey the intricate architecture of the basilica and the lively movement of the crowd, while the large format allows viewers to immerse themselves in the scene’s architectural and social richness. Such prints played a vital role in shaping Europe’s romantic image of Venice as a city of pageantry and elegance. Today, this impression from the National Gallery of Art’s Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection offers a window into both artistic practice and historical ritual, reminding us how images circulated ideas of power and place across the continent.