Departure of the Bucentaur Towards the Venice Lido on Ascension Day 1770

Francesco Guardi painted "Departure of the Bucentaur Towards the Venice Lido on Ascension Day," capturing a moment of Venetian spectacle, but also a complex historical narrative. This ceremony, where the Doge symbolically married Venice to the sea by casting a ring into the water, was more than a picturesque tradition; it was a statement of power, a claim to maritime dominance in a city built on water and trade. Guardi, born into a family of artists, inherited a tradition of Venetian vedute painting, but his loose brushwork and atmospheric effects lend a new emotionality to the scene. The Bucentaur, a gilded barge, becomes a symbol of Venetian identity, reflecting the city's aspirations and its relationship to the sea. Yet, it is essential to recognize that this opulence was built on trade networks, and the backs of laborers, whose stories are submerged beneath the grandeur of the event. This painting serves as a reminder of the layers of history and power embedded in Venice.