Sketch of a Palace's Interior's Foreshortening with Stairs, Statues and Ornaments 1762 - 1844

Giuseppe Bernardino Bison sketched this palace interior with pen and brown ink, and gray wash. Bison lived in a time of shifting social structures, from the aristocratic opulence of the Venetian Republic to the rise of a new bourgeois class. Here, he renders a world that is grandiose and theatrical. Note the statues, the stairs, and the elaborate ornamentation, all designed to impress. Yet, the sketch also has a haunting quality, the monochrome palette creating a sense of distance. As viewers, we are made aware of the power dynamics inherent in such spaces. Palaces are not merely buildings; they are statements of authority, built on centuries of social and economic inequality. Ultimately, this sketch invites us to reflect on the stories architecture tells, and whose stories remain untold. It captures a moment in time, when the old order was beginning to give way to the new, leaving us to ponder what was gained, and what was lost.