Restored in 2002 with funding from Mrs. Julio Mario Santo Domingo.

A multitude of precious objects created by highly skilled Venetian craftsmen are housed in the Treasury of the Basilica of San Marco. Among these is the pair of candlesticks created by the most important goldsmith workshop active in the fifteenth century in Venice; they were donated to the Treasury of San Marco by Doge Cristoforo Moro. Although the goldsmith’s name is unknown, his workshop is now identified as “The Workshop of the Moro Candlesticks” due to the fame of these remarkable objects. They are associated with other important works, including chalices in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The two gilded silver candlesticks are nearly identical and were cast from a series of models that vary slightly in their iconography. Mythical animals, clusters of grapes, and ornate gothic architectural motifs decorate the many tiers of the candlesticks. Christ and the Virgin Mary are portrayed along with angels and saints, including Saint Mark, the beloved patron of Venice. There is also a repeated motif of Doge Cristoforo Moro’s coat of arms accompanied by the winged lion of Saint Mark.

The work was restored by conservator Corinna Mattiello, with the guidance of project director Ettore Merkel 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.

Unidentified Venetian Goldsmith
Candlesticks of Doge Cristoforo Moro
1462-1471, gilded silver
123 x 31 cm

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