The Island of Lazzaretto Nuovo

The artwork

A low island in the middle of the lagoon, enclosed by a wall, with long warehouses and the funnel-shaped chimneys of Venetian houses, while in front boats and gondolas glide over the grey water. You receive it printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• The grey of the wash, the brown of the ink, the pale light of the lagoon.
• A delicate, almost silent image that suits a study or a bedroom.
• A gift for anyone who loves the islands of the lagoon and the history of Venice.

Venice lived on trade, but ships could also bring epidemics. In 1468 the Senate decided to use this island, in the northern lagoon, as the Lazzaretto Nuovo: suspect ships stopped here, and people and goods were kept in isolation, usually for forty days, before entering the city. From those forty days, quaranta giorni, comes the word quarantine. For about three centuries the island was the Republic's main quarantine station.

Francesco Tironi (about 1745-1797), a draughtsman active in Venice, drew it in pen and wash between 1778 and 1779. Drawings like this one were used for a series of twenty-four views of the islands of the lagoon, engraved by Antonio Sandi. His precise line recalls Canaletto, his lively little figures Francesco Guardi. The original is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

In a study or a bedroom it brings the quiet of the lagoon and a story that feels very modern. A precious gift for anyone who loves Venice.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with gold fillet, handmade, with glass