Restored in 1995 with funding from Laurence Lovett in memory of Mrs. John Barry Ryan.

The elaborate baptismal font at San Giovanni in Bragora consists of four distinct elements. The entire structure rests upon a base of Istrian stone, with carved putti who appear to bear the weight of the basin on their backs. The octagonal basin is formed from a repurposed Gothic capital from the 1430s, carved from red Verona marble and decorated with acanthus leaves. On top of this sits a repoussé cover in gilded copper dating to 1726, when Giorgio Massari modernized the church. The crowning element of the font is the bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist, which was cast by Francesco Marcolini in 1726 and is thought to be a copy of an original made by Alessandro Vittoria in 1585. The baptismal font is set into a niche within a larger aedicule, framed by two columns and decorated with multicolored marble. The composer Antonio Vivaldi belonged to this parish and was baptized at this font in 1678.

The works were restored by conservator Toto Bergamo and the Sansovino restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Sandro Sponza of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Various sculptors
Baptismal Font and Niche
Fifteenth through eighteenth centuries, Istrian stone, Verona marble, gilded copper, and bronze

San Giovanni Battista in Bragora: Homepage (in Italian)

San Giovanni Battista in Bragora: The Baptistery (in Italian)