The conservation of Paolo Veronese’s painted ceiling  was funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc., the California Chapter of Save Venice Inc.,  Young Friends of Save Venice, Thaw Charitable Trust, Friends in honor of Mary and Howard Frank, Mr. and Mrs. Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Regina A. Lee, José and Beatrice Esteve, Richard and Jill Almeida, Emily and Walter Mead, Mary Kathryn and Alex Navab, Bassini Spa, Costa Crociere, Dr. and Mrs. Randolph H. Guthrie, and in Honor of the 2010 Carnival Gala Sponsors (Francesca Bortolotto Possati, Elizabeth Locke and John Staelin, Missiaglia, Eligio Paties and Do Forni Restaurant, Cat Jagger Pollon, Rubelli, Matthew White and Thomas Schumacher), Beatrix Ost and Ludwig Kuttner, Irina Tolstoy and John G. Gans, The James R. Doughery, Jr. Foundation through Beatrice Rossi-Landi, trustee, The Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Paul D. Kaplan, and the Venetian Club of Trinity College.

The ceiling of San Sebastiano is organized by a decorative wooden framework that defines three main areas along its central axis.

In addition to the three central paintings on canvas dedicated to the story of Old Testament heroine Esther, there are eight flanking wooden panels (oblongs and rectangles) depicting balustrades with putti, grotesques, and garlands, four monochrome roundels of virtues. Each of the oval canvases is also surrounded by four Winged Victory panels, inspired by ancient Roman triumphal arches. The richly gilded ceiling framework also includes a variety of painted decorative figures and motifs.

The ceiling itself stands as a major monument in the development of the Venetian soffitto, the kind of segmented painted ceiling that would serve as an important model for artists well into the seventeenth century and beyond.

The conservation of the painted ceiling began in 2009. The three central paintings on canvas were taken down from the ceiling and transported to the Misericordia Conservation Laboratory where they were restored by the CBC conservation firm. From 2009 to 2011 the wooden ceiling and panel paintings were restored on site in the church by Egidio Arlango and the Arlango firm. The wooden supports of the panel paintings were restored by Roberto Saccuman.

The main objective of the ceiling campaign was to restore the chromatic brilliance of the painted elements, which required removing layers of thick surface grime, oxidized varnishes, and heavy overpainting that was added in previous centuries. Due to the fugitive nature of the blue smalt pigment employed by Veronese in the background and skies throughout the ceiling and on the canvas and panel paintings, it was impossible to restore the original blue color in these areas.

The gilding throughout the ceiling was cleaned and repaired, as was the architectural framework throughout the ceiling. The conservation of the ceiling was completed in August 2011.

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.

The Banishment of Vashti
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil on canvas
Conservation funded by the California Chapter of Save Venice Inc.

This painting is the first in the narrative series of stories from the Book of Esther on the ceiling of San Sebastiano. It depicts Vashti, the first wife of the Persian King Ahasuerus, as she descends the stairs out of the palace, helped by a young page and escorted by an old woman servant. She has been banished for disobeying the king’s order to attend a feast and as a result can longer be queen. Closest to the main door of the church, the canvas is oriented to be read by a spectator whose back is to the altar and is facing the door, thus reinforcing the theme of departure. King Ahasuerus then selected Esther from among the most beautiful virgins of his kingdom to become his second wife and Queen. Esther, raised by her cousin Mordechai, a counselor to the King, did not reveal to Ahasuerus that she was Jewish.

The Coronation of Esther
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil on canvas
Conservation funded by friends in honor of Mary and Howard Frank

This painting, located at the center of the ceiling, narrates King Ahasuerus crowning Esther as his Queen: “and the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all of the virgins, so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.” (Book of Esther 2:17) As Queen, Esther learns from her cousin Mordechai that Haman, the King’s chief minister, planned to have all the Jews in the empire massacred. Despite a law that anyone who approached the King without his summons would be put to death, Esther decides that she must go to Ahasuerus and plead that he set aside Haman’s decree. Her mission is successful, and Esther saves the Jews through her courage and faith. As a determined woman chosen for her beauty and virginity, Esther mirrors the female personification of Venice as well as an evocation of the Virgin Mary crowned by Christ as the Queen of Heaven. Furthermore, as the rescuer of her people she prefigures Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus.

The Triumph of Mordecai
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil on canvas
Conservation funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.

The third ceiling canvas in Veronese’s Esther series can be viewed when facing the altar. Two horses thunder from the scene as Mordechai celebrates the victory of his people over Haman and his plot calling for the demise of the Jews. Mounted on his white steed and led by two soldiers, Mordechai carries a red imperial banner. Haman appears clad in armor and reining in a black horse, symbolic of his villainous role. Visible in the background is a spiral column inspired by King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, evoking the Old Testament king’s wisdom and justice, concepts that were mainstays to the Venetian Republic.

Ceiling Panels with Balustrades and Putti
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil on wood
Balustrade with Putti and Garlands: conservation funded by Costa Crociere
Putti Draping Garlands on a Balustrade: conservation funded the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.
Remaining panels: conservation funded by Save Venice Inc.

Six oblong wooden panels and two rectangular ones are arranged around the perimeter of the painted ceiling at San Sebastiano. They depict white marble balustrades carved with grotesque sculptural masks and draped with fruit-laden garlands; putti, or small winged cherubs, either sit among the garlands or struggle to lift them into position. All of these panels take into account the viewer’s position on the floor of the church, who gazes up from far below, revealing such playful details as the soles of the feet of some of the putti. These themes were typical of Veronese’s villa decorations prior to his work at San Sebastiano.

Winged Victory Figures
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil on wood
Conservation funded by Regina A. Lee, José and Beatrice Esteve, Richard and Jill Almeida, and the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.

Paolo Veronese also painted eight Winged Victory figures on wooden panels on the ceiling of San Sebastiano; they decorate the corners surrounding the two large oval canvases, the Banishment of Vashti and the Triumph of Mordechai. These triumphant women derive from the Greek goddess Nike and “geni romani,” winged male or female figures used by the Romans to embellish intermediate spaces in arches, which are called spandrels. Veronese often used such monochromatic figures in order to emulate sculpture, in metal, as here, or in stone, as seen in the Feast in the House of Levi at the Accademia Galleries, as well as in Veronese’s painted organ shutters here at San Sebastiano.

Roundels of Virtue: Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil on wood
Faith: conservation funded by Mary Kathryn and Alex Navab
Hope: conservation funded by Bassani SpA
Charity: conservation funded by Dr. and Mrs. Randolph H. Guthrie
Justice: conservation funded in honor of the 2010 Carnival Gala Sponsors (Francesca Bortolotto Possati, Elizabeth Locke and John Staelin, Emily and Walter Mead, Missiaglia, Eligio Paties and Do Forni Restaurant, Cat Jagger Pollon, Rubelli, Matthew White and Thomas Schumacher)

Female figures with attributes that identify them as Virtues decorate the four corners of the ceiling of San Sebastiano. Here Veronese used the grisaille style of monochromatic painting in tones of grey and white to create the illusion of a sculptural relief. The three Theological Virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, are personified, as well as one Cardinal Virtue, Justice. Veronese’s Faith is shown holding a cross, signifying her belief. Hope is represented as a woman looking upward toward heaven, in hope of salvation. Charity is a woman with two young children, one of whom nurses at her breast. The most important Cardinal Virtue to the Venetian Republic was Justice; Veronese’s personification holds the scales of justice and a sword, her typical attributes. In Venice, Justice is often represented as a crowned figure, and doubles as a personification of the city of Venice herself.

Architectural Framework
Paolo Veronese
1556, oil and gilding on wood

All of these canvases and panels are installed within a richly decorated architectural framework that includes such sculptural details as gilded roses and acanthus leaves, dentils, and strings of beads, interspersed with painted patterns and floral motifs. The entire ceiling is framed by an elaborate wooden cornice, carved and painted with designs that mimic details from classical architecture.

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