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This
series of small paintings of life and scenery
in 18th-century Venice by Gabriele Bella
(1730-99) is one example -the contemporary
group by Pietro Longhi is another- of the
perceptive collecting of the Querini family.
The Querini built their house on one of
the canals bounding Campo Santa Maria Formosa
in the 1520s; and in 1869 the last of the
family set up the Foundation to preserve
their collections of books and pictures
made over four centuries. In 1978 Venice
in Peril paid for the restoration of 14
of Bella's 67 scenes of public life, which
tell us much about the last years of the
ancient Republic, its clothes and its fashions.
The subjects range from the workings of
the Venetian State to women's boat races,
nocturnal religious processions and the
delights of Venice's theatres. When the
lottery picture was painted, between 1779
and 1792, the draw took place monthly at
the Loggetta and the proceeds provided dowries
for 100 poor girls. The generous donation
made in memory of the Hon. Mrs Clive Pearson
by her family enabled this restoration to
be completed. |
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