Palazzo Dell’ Angelo

 

John Taylor Arms

  1887 - 1953 (biography)

1931  

etching 

7 1/4 x 6 11/16" platemark 

pencil, lower right 

"Ed 100", total edition 131 

pencil dated 1931 after the signature; also inscribed: Ed. 100 in lower left 

Fletcher 233; Italian series 19; Arms 235; LOC 257; illustrated on page 116 in Denker's "Reflections & Undercurrents: Ernest Roth and Printmaking in Venice, 1900-1940" 

fine, ivory laid 

ii/iii 

artist 

24600 

$2,500.00 

The Palazzo Sorano Dell’Angelo is a 14th century apartment located where the Rio di Palazzo and the Rio del Mondo Novo canals meet. It abuts the Piazza San Marco in the Castello district of Venice, Italy. John Taylor Arms has shown the Rio di Palazzo side, which still retains much of its Gothic architectural origins, while the Rio del Mondo Novo (which would be to the right of the facade) was mostly remodeled in the 16th century. He’s chosen the gated entryway with a glimpse of garden statuary within, an elegant gondola pulled alongside the building as it waits for its fare. Seen flanking the entryway are its original rondel-glass windows, now frequently shuttered to keep them safe.

The origins of the structure are steeped in both historical fact and myth. The factual history began with the Soranzo family, whose banking dynasty shaped the future of modern financing when it introduced bank accounts and in-bank transfers to the public. This allowed for easier funding of major wars and expansion, making Venice a major hub for international trade. The Saranzo family built this apartment and the adjoining buildings as one of the earliest sprawling estates in Venice.

Meanwhile, the myth tied to the apartment is evident in its name, ending in Dell’Angelo, or “the Angel”, referring to a bas-relief angel that sits above and to the left of this doorway. The tale states that a former resident of the apartments, a lawyer who was a devoted worshiper of the Virgin Mary, became tempted by the devil who arrived in the form of a monkey, encouraging him to swindle his poorest clients, which the lawyer did for several years despite his religious devotion. He was finally found out by a visiting monk, who showed the lawyer the cost of his misdeeds by squeezing the blood of his victims from the tablecloth where a fine supper was laid. The lawyer begged for forgiveness, and the monk commanded him to cut a hole in the wall facing the canal and force the monkey-devil out. Wanting to be sure the devil never returned, he told the lawyer to cover the hole with the image of an angel; thus, the name of the building was given, and it stuck.