The Ca' d'Oro (Venice) - Federico del Campo - Framed Print - 16"H x 20"W

The Ca' d'Oro (Venice) - Federico del Campo - Framed Print - 16"H x 20"W

Ca' d'Oro (correctly Palazzo Santa Sofia) is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice.  One of the older palaces in the city, it is known as Ca' d'Oro ("golden house") due to the gilt and polychrome external decorations which once adorned its walls.

The palace was built between 1428 and 1430 for the Contarini family, who provided Venice with eight Doges between 1043 and 1676. The architects of the Ca d'Oro were Giovanni Bon and his son Bartolomeo Bon.

Following the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, the palace changed ownership several times. One 19th century owner, the ballet dancer Marie Taglioni, vandalised the building by removing the Gothic stairway from the inner courtyard and also destroyed the ornate balconies overlooking the court.

In 1894, the palace was acquired by its last owner, baron Giorgio Franchetti; throughout his lifetime, he amassed an important art collection and personally oversaw its extensive restoration, including the reconstruction of the stairway and the Cosmatesque courtyard with ancient marbles. In 1916, Franchetti bequeathed the Ca' d'Oro to the Italian State.

Federico del Campo (1837-1923) was a Peruvian painter who was active in Venice where he was one of the leading vedute painters of the 19th century.

Del Campo left his native Peru at a young age. Del Campo subsequently travelled to Italy and painted in Naples, Capri, Rome, Assisi and Venice. During a visit to France he studied new artistic developments in Paris. From 1880, he exhibited works at the annual Salon van de Société des Artistes Français. In 1880 he established himself in Venice.

He became good friends with Martín Rico. The two artists worked sometimes together painting the Venetian scenes that were popular with the increasing number of visitors to that city. They responded thus to the large international market for their city views of Venice. Demand for del Campo's views was so strong, that he painted several views multiple times.

Particularly English tourists were taken by del Campo’s vedute of Venice. This was reason why he moved to London in 1893 where he worked for a clientele of aristocrats and successful merchants. He was represented by art dealer Arthur Tooth who was able to organize a special exhibition of his work in Chicago during the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Del Campo specialized in landscapes of Venice, the Grand Canal, the Doge's Palace and the St. Mark’s Basilica. His paintings distinguish themselves through their crystalline atmosphere and depict Venice's buildings set against a dazzling, light blue sea and sky. He also used a bright palette and short, fine, brushstrokes and delicate glazes, that give the surface of his paintings a shimmering and luminous quality.