ARCHITECT, Italian
(active 1450s in Venice)

Arsenale Gateway

1457-60
Photo
Arsenale, Venice

The gateway into Venice's great shipyard, the Arsenale, is an early demonstration of the influence of the antique in Venetian architecture. This grand portal, topped with a huge representation of the lion of the republic, is intended to express the importance of Venice as a marine power. The arched entrance, flanked by columns on high bases, is a reference to the ancient Roman triumphal arches.

The architect of this example of symbolic architecture is unknown.

The Venetian shipyard was perhaps the largest industrial complex in Europe at this time, it employed several thousand men in a system which has been compared to modern production line. The gateway has been enriched with later additions, including the female saint at the peak of the pediment, the bronze doors, the enclosed terrace in front of its statuary, and the lions to either side.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.