The conservation of the Saint Ann Chapel has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Arnold M. Bernstein.

It is uncertain when the Church of San Pantalon was founded. First mentioned in 1161 by Pope Alexander III, the church underwent numerous renovations over the centuries, with the latest occurring between the 1660s and the 1710s when it was entirely updated to the Baroque style. During this period, the church was adorned with magnificent altars, whereas the ceiling was decorated by Giovanni Antonio Fumiani’s astonishing Martyrdom and Glorification of Saint Pantaleon, one of the largest ceiling canvases in the world.

The Saint Ann Chapel was part of the 17th-century renovation effort and was likely built in 1696, as documented in a manuscript compiled by Don Domenico Girolamo Maccato between 1767 and1770. The altar belonged to the Compagnia delle nobildonne devote a Sant’Anna, a lay confraternity dedicated to the mother of the Virgin Mary, Ann. Established in 1695, the Compagnia initially only admitted noblewomen of marrying age; by 1766, its membership had grown to 200 sisters. Upon joining the confraternity, novices had to swear on the Mariegola, the statute book of the Compagnia, adorned with an illumination depicting the Virgin and Child with Saint Ann. The book also featured a refined print of the Birth of the Virgin designed by renowned engraver Sister Isabella Piccini da Santacroce.

The Saint Ann Chapel stands as a fascinating testament to female art patronage in 18th-century Venice. Notably, both the structure and its adornments were entirely funded by the sisters of the Compagnia, highlighting their significant role in supporting and shaping artistic endeavors during this period. The chapel boasts lavish decorations, including an elaborate inlaid floor made of polychrome marble, a sumptuous marble altar likely designed by Antonio Tabacco, and sculptures of saints and narrative scenes carved by Tuscan sculptor Pietro Baratta.

The statues depict the titular saint of the chapel, Saint Ann, surrounded by putti on the high altar and flanked by Saint Joseph (left) and Saint Joachim (right). The side walls feature, on the left-hand side, a Carrara marble high-relief narrative depicting the Birth of the Virgin, while on the opposite side, the wall is adorned with a Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple, deeply inspired by Titian’s painting for the Scuola Grande della Carità (restored by Save Venice in 2010-2012). The chapel also showcases a ceiling canvas by Fumiani, featuring Christ in Glory with the Virgin, Saint Ann, Saint Joseph, and Other Saints.

Conservation state
The chapel’s marble and stone decorative elements, altar, reliefs, balustrades, and sculptures are covered in a thick layer of corrosive grime and dust. The marble sheeting of the lower registers and the inlaid marble pavement suffer from the effects of rising damp, where moisture from the ground travels up through walls by capillary action, carrying with it salt that crystallizes and causes the marble to crack and split. Additional salt-laden moisture deposits caused by condensation are evident on upper registers. The chapel’s ceiling depiction by Fumiani has darkened due to oxidized varnish and a thick layer of surface grime, obscuring the pictorial details of the scene. Its legibility was compromised to the extent that it was believed to be a fresco, and only on close examination was determined to be instead on canvas support.

Conservation treatment
Surface grime and dirt will be removed from marble and stonework with brushes, followed by cleaning with bland solvent poultices on stained areas. Localized desalinization through the application of absorbent clay poultices will be undertaken to remove salts that are already present, preventing their further multiplication. Areas of split and detached marble will be repaired, and in rare instances integrated with similar marble pieces. The ceiling canvas will be cleaned, and its discolored varnish thinned. Losses in the pictorial layer will be filled and in-painted with conservation paint before protective varnish is applied.

Bernardo Tabacco (active 1680 – 1729) [attr.]
Altar
Ca. mid 1690s, marble

Pietro Baratta (1668 – 1729) [attr.]
Saint Ann; Saint Joseph; Saint Joachim; Birth of the Virgin; Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple
Ca. 1700s, marble

Giovanni Antonio Fumiani (1640s – 1710)
Christ in Glory with the Virgin, Saint Ann, Saint Joseph, and Other Saints
Ca. 1700, canvas
Unidentified artist

Mosaic Floor
Ca. 1690s, marble

Bacchi, Andrea (ed.) La scultura a Venezia da Sansovino a Canova. Milan: Longanesi, 2000

Favilla, Massimo and Ruggero Rugolo. Baroque Venice. Splendour and illusion in a “decadent” world. Schio (VI): Sassi Editore Srl, 2009. Link to the article

Maccato, Domenico Girolamo. Memorie della chiesa Parrocchiale e Collegiata di S. Pantaleone Medico e Martire di Nicomedia (Archivio Storico Patriarcale di Venezia, Cronache e memorie storiche, ms.), 1767-70

Mason, Stefania and Maria Da Villa Urbani. Chiesa di San Pantalon: arte e devozione. Venice: Marsilio, 1994

Semenzato, Camillo. “Giovanni Bonazza.” Saggi e Memorie di storia dell’arte, 2 (1958-1959): 281, 283- 314

Vio Gastone. Le Scuole Piccole nella Venezia dei Dogi. Note d’archivio per la storia delle confraternite veneziane. Costa Bissara (VI): Angelo Colla Editore, 2004