Sixteenth-century Venice viewed and treated women with restrictive and symbolic societal expectations, and this is a theme prevalent through the art and architecture of the period. Through the Casa delle Zitelle, Veronese's Apotheosis of Venice, and Andrea Vicentino's Disembarkation of the Dogaressa Morosini Morosini Grimani from the Bucintoro and Her Progress Toward the Triumphal Arch, the Venetian social expectations of women can be assessed. Women are treated as fragile commodities whose encouraged traits are beauty and purity. This often prevents them from coming into public view except for rare public occasions, and they are only presented powerfully and liberally only when being used as allegorical symbols for abstract concepts.
Women were treated as fragile resources that needed to be protected and commodified. The most prominent example of this idea is present in the creation of the Casa delle Zitelle, the 'House of Unmarried Girls.' Young women who were deemed at risk for prostitution were collected and kept within the confines of the building, where they would be taught to be desirable wives. The plan of the building is an H-shape around the church of Santa Maria Della Presentazione, emphasizing that the protection and purity of the girls are centered both physically and metaphorically around the church. This design also results in limited access to the building, further separating the women from the public. However, In Andrea Vicentino's painting, we see women dressed in white standing tall in the celebration. They are wearing immense platform shoes to dramatically enhance their height and portray themselves as visual spectacles, further emphasizing the idea that they are commodities for visual appeal. Additionally, their white gowns signify that they are virgins, a trait that Venetians found essential to signify a woman's purity. Thus, although they are not being kept away, they are still focused on presenting beauty and purity. The appearance of these women in a public setting, however, draws the discussion toward the cases where women are permitted to be viewed.
Women were deemed suitable for public spectacle under particular political contexts. Women were typically kept within Venetian palaces, but they would be able to participate in civic life during ceremonial events and festivities. In Veronese's Apotheosis of Venice, women have gathered around in the center of the painting, and they wear lavish dresses and jewelry. Given the rarity for a woman to partake in such public activities, women would often wear bright and ornate clothing. In Andrea Vicentino's painting, the Dogaressa Morosini Morosini Grimani arrives in Venice with a celebration. This painting also exhibits the fact that the Dogaressa and Doge do not arrive together so as to stop them from appearing as a king and a queen, further exerting restrictions on the ways that women may present themselves in public. Additionally, the restricted visibility of women is prominent in the design of the Casa delle Zitelle. The building faces away from the center of the city, and the windows are placed at a height such that the women's bodies cannot be seen by outsiders.
Venetian art will often portray women in more liberated positions when they are being used for symbolism. In Veronese's Apotheosis of Venice, Venice is personified as a woman sitting upon a cloud and being crowned by an angel. Venice's most common personifications are the Virgin Mary, Justice, Venus, and Goddess Rome, and in this painting, Venice appears to take on the form of Justice. She stands above the clouds appearing as a powerful ruler, and this portrayal requires her, in the context of Venetian art, to be personified as a woman. Because a woman could never be mistaken for an existing ruler, the female body is treated as an empty vessel to be filled with meaning. Additionally, although the Venetian women located in the center of the painting are not allegorical personifications, they are still symbolic because their intricate clothing and jewelry are meant to symbolize the beauty of Venice. However, the concept of symbolism is portrayed less directly in Andrea Vicentino's painting; the Dogaressa Morosini Morosini Grimani wears a gold dress, and she stands beside a gold statue of Justice personified as a woman. This color choice links the two figures together, correlating the appearance of the Dogaressa with allegories and symbolic concepts rather than reality. Thus, women in Venetian art are portrayed in more empowering fashions when they are either being compared to symbols or are personifications of concepts.
Thus, gender in sixteenth-century Venice is a concept with a particular divide between men and women and how they are portrayed in art. Architecture such as the Casa delle Zitelle is functionally designed to teach women a Venetian sense of purity and womanhood while hiding women from public consumption. Veronese's Apotheosis of Venice and Andrea Vicentino's Disembarkation of the Dogaressa Morosini Morosini Grimani from the Bucintoro and Her Progress Toward the Triumphal Arch, however, are examples of women being in public spaces, though these are under the conditions of attending celebratory events. Additionally, while Veronese's work directly personifies Venice as a woman, Andrea Vicentino's painting only compares Dogaressa Morosini Morosini Grimani to the symbol of Justice.
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Gender in Venice: Symbolism in Venetian Art.
(2023, February 24). Edubirdie. Retrieved April 27, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/gender-in-venice-symbolism-in-venetian-art/
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Gender in Venice: Symbolism in Venetian Art. [online].
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Gender in Venice: Symbolism in Venetian Art [Internet]. Edubirdie.
2023 Feb 24 [cited 2024 Apr 27].
Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/gender-in-venice-symbolism-in-venetian-art/
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