Ancient painting "The parlour of the nuns of San Zaccaria" 1800s

Oil on canvas. The original painting, created by Francesco Guardi in 1746 and given to the Civic Museums of Venice in 1830 from the collection of Abbot Teodoro Correr, has been on display at Ca’ Rezzonico since 1936. The painting is an "interior view" in which the artist carefully and delicately depicts the visiting room of the San Zaccaria monastery. The daughters of the most important Venetian families were nuns in the convent: in the parlour, parents and friends could converse with the nuns, and puppet shows were also organised for the little ones during these meetings, as seen on the right. Guardi's work is characterised by the representation of all the familiar elements of 18th-century Venice, with its gallant and worldly atmosphere that also permeated the convents. The copy presented here is quite faithful to the original, although a section is missing on the right, behind the small theatre. Having already undergone restoration and relining in the past, the painting currently requires cleaning. It is presented in a period frame.