The Ridotto at Palazzo Dandolo

The artwork

Beneath a beamed ceiling, a long, crowded hall: masked ladies and gentlemen stroll, greet one another, try their luck at the tables. You receive it printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• The warm browns of the hall, the pink of a gown, the black of the masks.
• A scene full of life that brings warmth to a living room or a study.
• A gift for anyone who loves the Carnival and the mysteries of Venice.

The Ridotto was the public gaming house of Venice, opened by the Republic in 1638 inside Palazzo Dandolo, near San Marco. People went there to play cards, but also to see and be seen. Almost everyone came in masked: so the nobleman and the merchant, the lady and the adventurer sat at the same table without knowing who was facing them. Among the women you can spot the moretta, a small black oval mask held in place with the teeth.

Francesco Guardi (1712-1793), the great painter of Venetian views, here steps inside the palaces and tells the life of the city. He painted the scene around 1765. A few years later, in 1774, the government closed the Ridotto: too many families were ruining themselves at the tables. The original is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In a living room or a study it brings the secret charm of the Carnival. A curious and 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