Restored in 2009 with Save Venice general funds.

From 1749 to 1776, the church of San Barnaba was completely renovated following the design of Lorenzo Boschetti, the architect who built Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, now the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. In 2008 a structurally compromised building adjacent to the church of San Barnaba put the apse of the church at risk; the limestone and marble high altar was in particular danger. Following conservation work to ensure the structural stability of both buildings, Save Venice provided funding to restore damage to the upper cornice of the high altar and its crowning angel sculptures.

The altar dates to the church’s eighteenth century reconstruction, and is the work of an unidentified Venetian sculptor in the transition period from Rococo to Neoclassicism. The sculptural angels that adorn the altar are particularly impressive in their execution, from the fine detail in the feathers of their wings to the expressive folds of their draperies.

The work was restored by conservator Jonathan Hoyte, with the guidance of the Technical Office of the Curia Patriarcale 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 artist
High Altar with Angels
c. late 1770s, marble and limestone