Saturday, December 15, 2012

A Camel in Venice

Bas-relief of a camel, Palazzo Mastelli, rio della Madonna dell'Orto, Venice

Bas-relief on the façade of Palazzo Mastelli or ‘del Cammello’ (of the Camel)
Rio della Madonna dell'Orto, Cannaregio
Venice, October 2012

“Diagonally opposite the church, on the other side of the canal, stands the Palazzo Mastelli, former home of the mercantile family of the same name. The facade of the much-altered palazzo is a sort of architectural scrap-album, featuring a Gothic top-loor balcony, thirteenth-century Byzantine fragments set into sixteenth-century work below, a bit of a Roman altar set into a column by the corner, and a quaint little relief of a man leading a laden camel – hence its alternative title, Palazzo del Cammello.” (Jonathan Buckley, The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto)

3 comments:

  1. Wonderful piece of art; probably would not have been such a character if it is new !

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  2. That man is carrying a big stick. For a big camel?
    Some amputations there.

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