Giovanni Battista Brustolon, printmaker

The Doge was the chief magistrate and leader of the city of Venice, elected for life by the aristocracy of the city. Giovanni Battista Brustolon’s print shows the Doge being crowned at the top of the Stair of the Giants in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale. The small, draped, and pious figure of the Doge with the cornu held tantalizingly above his head is dwarfed by the magnificent naked giants of Mars and Neptune, gods of War and the Sea, sculpted by Jacopo Sansovino. Directly above him, the winged lion of St. Mark, the city’s patron saint, presides over the coronation from the portal of the palace. The low viewpoint highlights the grandeur of the architecture and its suitability for performing and viewing such ceremonies. A lively cast of Venetians attends in the traditional “domino” costume of the city and in mask.