DOGE'S PALACE Anticollegio And Collegio

2:36

You are now on the Second Noble Floor, in a room full of stuccoes with a magnificent fireplace flanked by sculpted figures: this is the so-called Anticollegio, or antechamber, which was designed by the great architect Andrea Palladio. It served as a waiting room for the famous people who came to visit the Doge. Along the walls you can see a real gallery of Venetian masters of the second half of the 16th century.

The four canvases that you see on the sides of the doors are by Jacopo Tintoretto, and have complex mythological subjects, rich in symbolic allusions. Each painting is set in a different season of the year and is linked to one of the four primordial elements: earth, water, air, and fire.

The Abduction of Europe from the end of the 1500s is one of the most famous works by Paolo Veronese, thanks to the elegant figure of Europe sitting on the white bull that, if you look carefully, is licking Europe's foot. The bull is actually the god Zeus, who is about to kidnap the girl.

 

Now pause the audio and go to the Sala del Collegio, or Cabinet Room.

 

The Sala del Collegio where you now stand was used to receive foreign ambassadors, which explains its spectacular decorations. The ceiling is one of the most precious in the building, and is divided into geometric panels of gilded and carved wood frames, some with very particular shapes. Inspired by the challenge offered by the unusual shapes, Paolo Veronese invented amazing female figures that symbolize various virtues or human activities.

The large composition that you can see on the back wall above the platform is also by Paolo Veronese. The platform was reserved for the Doge and members of the Cabinet: the six councilors, the wise men, the leaders of the Council of Ten, and the General Chancellor.

The walls are covered by a series of paintings by Tintoretto, and are all devoted to the doges. You might find them all a bit monotonous, since each combines the portrait of a doge with a scene of devotion, but Tintoretto always found effective solutions!

 

FUN FACT: some of the virtues depicted by Veronese in the T-shaped and L-shaped canvases on the ceiling can be identified thanks to the animals beside the various female figures: the dog is for loyalty, the lamb is for mildness, the ermine is for purity, the eagle is for moderation, and the crane is for attention.

TravelMate consiglia
Scegli l'opzione
che fa al caso tuo
Buy Venice
Permanently unlock the app with all content of Venice for
€ 8,99
Buy
Promotion
Unlock audio content of all available cities for 3 years at the promotional price
€ 19,99
Buy
Da non perdere
VENICE INTRODUCTION
1 Audio

VENICE INTRODUCTION

Venice has no equal. The whole city is built on the sea, on wooden piles: the buildings, squares and streets rest on the piles, most of which have remained intact for centuries and which run down...
THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE
1 Audio

THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE

A typically Venetian starter is sarde in saor, fried sardines served with onions caramelized in vinegar, pine-nuts and raisins. The recipe originated from the sailors’ need to preserve food for...
ST. MARK'S
10 Audio

ST. MARK'S

Between a million pigeons, tourists, the café tables, and small orchestras, during daytime the square is always crowded. Consider that the esplanade in front of the cathedral was built starting...
DOGE'S PALACE
8 Audio

DOGE'S PALACE

I suggest admiring both sides of its exterior first before visiting its interior. It will be like plunging into the history of Venice, the queen of the seas!You should know that the Doge's Palace was...
GRAND CANAL
8 Audio

GRAND CANAL

You can see the canal all in one go by letting the banks pass you by from the windows of a vaporetto, or you can make a number of stops: each of the main buildings have their own dedicated audio...
ACCADEMIA GALLERY
10 Audio

ACCADEMIA GALLERY

For many centuries, the only bridge that remained standing over the Grand Canal was the Rialto Bridge: the other two only came after the mid-nineteenth century, were immediately indispensable and...
RIALTO BRIDGE
2 Audio

RIALTO BRIDGE

Of course the best viewpoint of the Rialto Bridge is from the water, and you've probably already seen it from a boat; even if the bridge is quite impressive when you pass under it, it's just as...
GUGGENHEIM
2 Audio

GUGGENHEIM

In 1948 the palace was bought by the whimsical collector and art dealer Peggy Guggenheim, who was fascinated by this unusual building. Guggenheim's life was like a story from a novel: born in New...
BASILICA OF THE FRIARS
7 Audio

BASILICA OF THE FRIARS

As you've probably already noticed, Venice isn't always easy to navigate what with its squares, hidden alleys, and tiny streets that lead directly to the water... It helps if you identify some...
SCUOLA GRANDE DI SAN ROCCO
4 Audio

SCUOLA GRANDE DI SAN ROCCO

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco, which is located at the Basilica of the Frari and next to the church dedicated to the saint, is one of the most famous, not only for the building's Renaissance...
CORRER MUSEUM
3 Audio

CORRER MUSEUM

In the main museum in St. Mark's Square, which also extends to the rooms of the Napoleonica Wing, you'll find two very interesting collections: the historical memorabilia of the Republic of Venice,...
SAN ZANIPOLO
7 Audio

SAN ZANIPOLO

You are near one of the jewels of the city's Gothic architecture. The church of Saints John and Paul, known by the Venetians as San Zanìpolo, was built in 1200 by the Dominicans in this large...
CÀ REZZONICO
3 Audio

CÀ REZZONICO

You've surely already admired the palace while passing it on the Grand Canal: can you imagine a better place for hosting 18th-century paintings, furniture, and objects? The collections come from...
LA FENICE THEATER
1 Audio

LA FENICE THEATER

Even if you've never been here before, you'll probably already recognize the interior of this historic building from the fantastic New Year's concerts broadcast on TV. If it's true that fate is...
CÀ D'ORO
3 Audio

CÀ D'ORO

Ca' d'Oro was built in the first half of the 15th century for the aristocrat Marino Contarini: the building's project was designed by Lombard master builders, but its decoration was entrusted to a...
BIENNALE
2 Audio

BIENNALE

With celebrations, festivals, concerts, theater seasons, art exhibitions, and film, you'll never be bored in Venice! The Biennale is an eagerly awaited date that's held in odd-numbered years,...
THE GHETTO
3 Audio

THE GHETTO

The area was connected to the rest of the city by just these two small bridges, which you can still recognize today by the the stone slabs where the rules were engraved. In doing so the Ghetto could...
MURANO
3 Audio

MURANO

When choosing a souvenir from Venice (which range from expensive leather masks to small plastic gondolas), you will be offered a large assortment of glassware: colored beads, blown glass animals,...
MARCIANA LIBRARY
3 Audio

MARCIANA LIBRARY

Sansovino was practically adopted by Venice: he had been named Protomastro, which meant he was responsible for public buildings in the city, a position that allowed him to create splendid official...
SCUOLA DI S. GIORGIO DEGLI SCHIAVONI
2 Audio

SCUOLA DI S. GIORGIO DEGLI SCHIAVONI

Vittore Carpaccio is one of the protagonists of the Venetian Renaissance, famous above all for the great narrative scenes he painted for the "Schools", which were typical Venetian welfare...
ARSENAL
1 Audio

ARSENAL

This boat production complex was established shortly after the year 1000, and became the most highly concentrated workforce throughout Europe, reaching approximately 3,000 employees. Just think, the...
SAN SEBASTIANO
1 Audio

SAN SEBASTIANO

Little by little Paolo Veronese, the clearest and most festive painter of the full Venetian Renaissance, turned this church into a chamber of wonders. If you look around, you'll find that he has...
TravelMate App
DOWNLOAD NOW
THE TRAVELMATE APP
Purchase your activation code, download the TravelMate App, and turn your smartphone into your personal travel companion!
Listen to audio guides about the wonders of the world with TravelMate.
HAVE FUN!