St. Mark's (Il Basilico di San Marco)

St. Mark's (Il Basilico di San Marco) side facing the Piazetta and Lagoon. The roofline, statues, varied marble panels, and dome are visible, as is the edge of the Palazzo Ducale.

Henry James on the interior of St. Mark's

"It is almost a spiritual function—or, at the worst, an amorous one—to feed one's eyes on the molten colour that drops from the hollow vaults and thickens the air with its richness. It is all so quiet and sad and faded and yet all so brilliant and living. The strange figures in the mosaic pictures, bending with the curve of niche and vault, stare down through the glowing dimness; the burnished gold that stands behind them catches the light on its little uneven cubes. — Henry James, Italian Hours

Photograph © George P. Landow (October 2000) [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]


Last modified October 2000