Restored in 2004 with funding from Lee Weissman.

This sculptural tomb is located on the exterior of the church of San Tomà, above the right side entrance facing Campiello del Piovan. Although the church originally dates to the tenth century, the building has gone through many transformations, the earliest of which were in 1395 and in the early 1500s. In 1652, Baldassare Longhena added a façade to the structure; this nearly collapsed a century later, and was rebuilt in 1742. At this date the funerary monument of Giovanni Priuli was also transferred from its original location inside the church to the present site on the exterior.

Giovanni Priuli, who lived during the fourteenth century, was a prominent member of the Venetian nobility; in addition to his military career, he also served as a senator. The effigy of Priuli on the tomb depicts him in civilian clothes, reclining on a sarcophagus with a carved cushion supporting his head. His feet rest on a small dog, a symbol of fidelity frequently employed in Gothic funerary statues. The front of the tomb is decorated with geometric patterns of squares and arches, while spiraled columns mark the corners. The date of Priuli’s death, November 17, 1375, is inscribed on the shelf supporting his stone coffin.

The work was restored by conservator Toto Bergamo and the Sansovino restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Grazia Fumo of the Superintendency of Monuments 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 sculptor
Funerary Monument of Giovanni Priuli
c. 1375, Vicenza stone and Istrian stone
150 x 210 x 50 cm