1. Scuola
Vecchia
della Misericordia, by Bartolomeo Bon, now in London
A beautiful relief now on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London. It was commissioned to Bartolomeo Bon who at the age of 74, and
probably with the help of his assistants, produced this masterpiece in
1448. Originally, Mary wore a crown depicting her as Queen of Heaven,
but the crown was chiseled off in the XVIII century. The upper part of
the relief, above Mary's head, is made of plaster. Remains of blue
paint indicate that the relief was once painted. Mary is in front of
the Tree of Jesse which shows Jesus' linage. (The Tree of Jesse has its
origin in a passage from the Book of Isaiah "And there shall come forth a shoot from
the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots...").
Two angels hold Mary's
cloak under which nine worshipers are protected, four to her left and
five to her right. Six figures are carved around Mary. Christ Child is
in a mandorla on Mary's chest. Istrian stone, 247 x 205 cm.
How to get there (to see the scar). From
the vaporetto stop at Ca' d'Oro take Calle Ca' d'Oro to Strada Nova,
turn left on Strada Nova. Cross the first bridge (Ponte Novo S. Felice)
and turn right immediately after the bridge on Fondamenta de la Chiesa
which soon becomes Fondamenta San Felice. Go to the end of the
fondamenta, about 200 m, (to your right you can admire the only bridge
without parapet in Venice, Ponte Chiodo - there is another one on the
island of Torcello) and turn left on Ramo de la Misericordia, cross the
bridge of the same name, and you will be on Fondamenta de la
Misericordia. Take Fondamenta de la Misericordia to your right. Cross
Ponte de l'Abazia to Campo de l'Abazia where you will see the Scuola
Vecchia de la Misericordia. (Notice that for directions, I prefer to
use the Venetian rather than the Italian spelling, thus the Italian
"della" becomes the Venetian "de la"). If the scar above the main
portal makes you sad, you can take consolation on the other two images
of the Madonna della Misericordia nearby (#12, Tabernacle on Fondamenta
della Misericordia, and #13 Corte Nova on Fondamenta de l'Abazia).
