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Lot Essay
Born in Rome in 1846, Lucius Rossi was greatly influenced by the imagination and emotion of Romantic painters, as well as the brilliant technique of the Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny. Rossi attended the Accademia de San Luca, and later established himself as a sought-after illustrator for publishing houses and newspapers, working for the British newspaper The Graphic.
This colorful painting entitled The Masked Ball, Ca Rezzonico, Venice, depicts a lively group of women, faces concealed with black masks, preparing for a ball. The women are most likely dressed for carnevale in Venice, a celebration for the victory of the Republica della Serenissima, in which a huge party was thrown in St. Mark's square to honor the military success of Venice in the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia. This same celebration continues to this day.
The wonderful staircase that the figures stand on is in Ca Rezzonico, a historic mansion in Venice. The aristocratic Bon family of Venice originally constructed the plans for Ca Rezzonico in the 17th century, but due to lack of finances never saw the palace completed. It was then that the Rezzonico family obtained the house, and created the elegant, ornate structure that it is today. Currently, Ca Rezzonico is the site of the Museo del Setecento Veneziano, home to an abundance of art and furniture from eighteenth centure Venice. The frescoes seen in Rossi's picture are attributed to Giambattista Tiepolo and are some of the best preserved in all of Venice. The women in the painting express the sort of lavish, luxuriant lifestyle synonymous with the Ca Rezzonico palace.
This colorful painting entitled The Masked Ball, Ca Rezzonico, Venice, depicts a lively group of women, faces concealed with black masks, preparing for a ball. The women are most likely dressed for carnevale in Venice, a celebration for the victory of the Republica della Serenissima, in which a huge party was thrown in St. Mark's square to honor the military success of Venice in the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia. This same celebration continues to this day.
The wonderful staircase that the figures stand on is in Ca Rezzonico, a historic mansion in Venice. The aristocratic Bon family of Venice originally constructed the plans for Ca Rezzonico in the 17th century, but due to lack of finances never saw the palace completed. It was then that the Rezzonico family obtained the house, and created the elegant, ornate structure that it is today. Currently, Ca Rezzonico is the site of the Museo del Setecento Veneziano, home to an abundance of art and furniture from eighteenth centure Venice. The frescoes seen in Rossi's picture are attributed to Giambattista Tiepolo and are some of the best preserved in all of Venice. The women in the painting express the sort of lavish, luxuriant lifestyle synonymous with the Ca Rezzonico palace.