The Architectural History of Venice

by Deborah Howard

This book is the indispensable guide to the history of architecture in Venice, encompassing the city’s fascinating variety of buildings from ancient times to the present day. Completely updated and filled with splendid new illustrations, this edition invites all visitors to Venice, armchair travelers, and students of Renaissance art and architecture to a fuller appreciation of the buildings of this uniquely beautiful city.
“The best concise introduction to Venetian architecture in English.”― Times Literary Supplement
“Compact and manageable . . . an excellent introduction to the novice preparing for a first Venetian experience.”―Society of Architectural Historians
“A hugely rewarding and accessible book.”―Richard Cork, Modern Painters


Published with the assistance of the Getty Grant Program

Genres: History, Art, Architecture, Italy, Nonfiction, Research

346 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 1981

About the author

Deborah Howard is Professor Emerita of Architectural History and Director of Research in the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art, and a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. She was Head of Department of History of Art from 2002-9 (with a sabbatical break in the middle). A graduate of Cambridge and of the Courtauld Institute of Art, she taught at University College London, Edinburgh University and the Courtauld Institute, before returning to Cambridge in 1992.

She has held visiting appointments at Yale (summer Term program in London), Harvard (Aga Khan program and the Villa I Tatti), the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, Smith College, Princeton, and the Universities of Melbourne and Queensland.

In 2005 she established the Centre for Acoustic and Musical Experiments in Renaissance Architecture (CAMERA) in the Department of History of Art, University of Cambridge.

She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2010.

Her principal research interests are the art and architecture of Venice and the Veneto; music and architecture in the Renaissance; and the relationship between Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Reviews

[Barbara Phillips-Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I have been to Venice a number of times, I enjoyed this book. The bits of history woven into it are just right for me, and there are plenty of photos.

[Michael Helm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it says - if you want political, social, or non-architectural art history, you are not going to find much at all here. For my purposes this book is a 3 star, but for what it is, it is really outstanding and deserves a higher rating.

It is helpful in understanding the various histories and trends in architecture in Venice; but the differences are subtle and it will make more useful reference and guide after I’ve seen these buildings and try to sort them out. It might be a good companion volume for a trip, but it is heavy and a little on the large size. It has beautiful color plates and illustrations all thru the book (which explains the weight) and many plans and sketches of various buildings and features. This is outstanding. There is also a glossary of the extensive architectural technical vocabulary used (not 100% complete but still essential).

The book’s strongest periods are the post-Late Antiquity to mid-Renaissance. The early period doesn’t have that much to show (probably most buildings were wood) and, in the middle of the Renaissance, say roughly 1550-1600, Venice’s fortunes politically and financially declined, and so building declined. The later chapters become text - dominated rather than plate-dominated. I expect this is a real effect in Venice’s history but it is possible the author’s own interests also bias this shift.
It is somewhat clear that Venice’s architectural history is a sort of dialogue between different eras, as different designers and builders imported new ideas (or brought them along on immigration) but had to incorporate them in to the existing artistic and architectural system. I would have liked to understand more about the constraints (engineering and social) the architects had. There is much more discussion of the latter than the former.

[Noelle07]

Gebruikt als bron voor mijn pws
Daarom geen rating

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously a work such as this on the history of how Venice was built is a trifle dry, but it is still enjoyable reading. Venice is one of the world's greatest cities, and seeing how it has grown and been shaped over the centuries is fascinating.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly solid history of Venice, only really recommended for people who have been there. Very helpful with idenitfying building periods and also how it wraps in with the history of the city.

[Ned · Rating 3 out of 5]

handy