Ca' Pesaro te Venetië 1741

Michele Marieschi created this print of Ca' Pesaro in Venice in the 1700s. During this period, Venice was a hub of artistic and cultural exchange, yet it also operated within a rigid social hierarchy. Marieschi’s image captures the architectural grandeur of Venice, but also hints at the city’s complex social dynamics. Take a look at the figures populating the foreground. We see merchants and gondoliers. The details Marieschi includes offer insight into their roles in Venetian society. The artist challenges traditional representations by focusing not only on the wealthy but also on the working class that kept Venice afloat. This image evokes a sense of the everyday—the hustle and bustle of a city dependent on its waterways, the lives of the many Venetians defined by their relationship to the sea. Marieschi is not just showing us a building, but a living, breathing city, shaped by the currents of its history and the lives of its people.