Examples of Architecture of Venice - Byzantine Ruin in the Rio Di Ca' FoscariBy Thomas Shotter Boys, John Ruskin 1887 Accession number: 1920P666 Tinted lithograph on paper. Width: 636 mm Height: 434 mm Information'Examples of the Architecture of Venice' was a folio of plates first published in 1851 in connection with Ruskin's book on Venetian architecture, 'The Stones of Venice.' The preface to the folio explains that: ' Mr Ruskin has found it impossible to reduce to the size of an octavo volume all the sketches made to illustrate his intended Essay on Venetian architecture; at least, without loss of accuracy in detail: he has thought it better to separate some of the plates from the text, than either to throw the latter into a folio form, or diminish the fidelity of the drawings.' Ruskin selected 16 of his drawings of architectural details to be published as plates in a large format folio each accompanied by an explanatory text. This is one of three plates depicting various views of a Byzantine ruin in Venice. Ruskin lamented that this 'wreck' was 'one of the most ancient and interesting palaces in Venice' but had 'been abandoned to utter neglect.' This plate is his reconstruction of the ground, or as he called it the 'water,' storey of the building. It is based on drawings made in 1849 when enough 'fragments' still remained for him to be able to piece together the original decoration. He shows the 'ancient portions' of the ruin 'in their relative positions, but without the modern features connecting them.' This plate highlights Ruskin's long-term desire to record decaying architecture before it disappeared altogether.
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