The Onorati Chapel conservation was generously funded by The James R. Dougherty, Jr. Foundation, Inc.

The construction of the Church of San Sebastiano began in 1506, and the main structure was nearly completed by 1548, when Bernardo Torlioni, a bishop from Verona, became prior of the church. According to documentation published by Emmanuele Antonio Cicogna, under Torlioni’s leadership, a fundraising campaign was launched to support the struggling Hieronymite order. This campaign also involved the construction of six side chapels, three on each side of San Sebastiano’s nave, with the support of wealthy nobles and other influential individuals. In exchange for their contributions, these benefactors were granted burial rights for their families in the respective chapels they sponsored. Additionally, donors were responsible for financing and commissioning the decoration of their chapels, a customary practice in Venetian churches.

On December 26, 1550, Paolo Onorati bequeathed 100 ducats in his will to commission an altarpiece for his chapel in the church of San Sebastiano. It is unclear whether the chapel had already been built at that time; however, there is no doubt that by the end of 1550, Onorati owned it. In a document dated October 9, 1580, Paolo Onorati’s widow, Angela Gatta, referred to the family chapel as the “cappella di San Giuseppe,” and indeed, the Nativity by Giambattista Zelotti that once adorned the altar did include a depiction of Saint Joseph.

In 1699, the monks returned the altarpiece to its owner, Sebastiano Gatta, and replaced it with a painting by Simone Forcellini depicting Blessed Pietro Gambacorta of Pisa, the co-founder of the Poor Hermits of Saint Jerome. A small devotional painting by Paolo Veronese depicting the Madonna and Child with Saint Catherine and Friar Michele Spaventi was also temporarily displayed here before being moved to the Grimani Chapel in the 18th century. Finally, between 1725 and 1728, when the painter Federico Bencovich returned to Venice after his sojourns in Vienna and Milan, he was commissioned to create the altarpiece depicting the Ecstasy of Blessed Pietro Gambacorta of Pisa. This painting is considered one of Bencovich’s great masterpieces. Characterized by its intense and dramatic use of chiaroscuro, this painting not only showcases Bencovich’s deep comprehension of Piazzetta’s art but also his skill in reinterpreting it. Bencovich held this painting in such high regard that he even produced an engraved replica, which is the only engraving he ever created. Also known is a large drawing now in a Milanese private collection that Bencovich made after his altarpiece in San Sebastiano, and which he probably brought with him in Lombardy as a testament to his artistic prowess.

Before conservation, the stone elements were encrusted with a thick layer of dirt and surface grime. The Carrara marble altar front, along with the surrounding colored marble decoration, was suffering from the damaging effects of rising damp and salt deposits, which posed a significant threat to the preservation of the sculpted artwork. Additionally, the plasterwork on the walls had started to deteriorate due to the impact of rising damp.

The conservation efforts of the Co.New Tech firm focused primarily on restoring the stone and marble components, given that the canvas altarpiece was in good condition. The Carrara marble altar front underwent a desalination treatment. This involved immersing it in a bath of deionized water to eliminate the salt deposits that had accumulated within the stone over the centuries. Subsequently, the altar front was thoroughly cleaned and then carefully reinstalled. The stone altar, marble columns, and other decorative marble elements within the chapel were subjected to a cleaning and consolidation process. The marble plaster was also consolidated and repaired as part of the comprehensive restoration effort.

Federico Bencovich (1677 – 1756)
Ecstasy of Blessed Pietro Gambacorta of Pisa
1725-1728, oil on canvas

Unidentified 18th-century Sculptor
Altarfront
c. 1720s, Carrara marble and Istrian stone

Cicogna, Emmanuele Antonio. Delle inscrizioni veneziane, vol. IV. Venice: Giuseppe Picotti Stampatore, 1834

Crosilla, Gabriele. “Federico Bencovich: la fortuna critica, un itinerario.” In Afat, 31 (2012): 75-94. Link to the article

Gentili, Augusto and Michele Di Monte. Veronese nella chiesa di San Sebastiano. Venice: Marsilio, 2005

Marinelli, Sergio. Federico Bencovich: un disegno della pala di San Sebastiano, in Per A.E. Popham. Parma: Consigli arte, 1981, pp. 235-241

Ranieri, Paola. “La chiesa di San Sebastiano a Venezia: la rifondazione cinquecentesca e la cappella di Marcantonio Grimani.” Venezia Cinquecento, 12, 24 (2002): 5-140

Salomon, Xavier, Davide Gasparotto, Gabriele Matino, and Melissa Conn. The Church of San Sebastiano in Venice: A Guide, Venice: Marsilio, 2024

Succi, Dario, ed. Da Carlevarijs ai Tiepolo: incisori veneti e friulani del Settecento. Venice: Albrizzi Editore, 1983