VENICE.- The transformational conservation of Jacopo Marieschi’s splendid 18th-century painting Saint John Adoring the Relic of the True Cross from the ceiling of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista has been completed, thanks the generous support of Arnold M. Bernstein.
The painting, created about 1760, is now temporarily displayed in the Atrium of the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista through the end of November 2026, allowing visitors the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to admire it up close before it is reinstalled high on the ceiling of the adjacent church.
This intervention represents a rare instance where an 18th-century artwork had never previously undergone a complete restoration. Prior to conservation, it was in a severe state of deterioration. The canvas had detached from the stretcher along the perimeter, causing it to sag by nearly 20cm, and risk potentially falling to the ground. The painted surface was completely obscured by a thick dark layer of grime and oxidized varnish, and it was so dry and brittle that it risked crumbling.
Conservator Claudia Vittori and her collaborators Lorenzo Conti, Barbara Bragato, Silvia Bonifacio, and Sofia Marchesin led the eight-month treatment, stabilizing the canvas’s structural deterioration and deformation, removing the black surface residues, and reintegrating the small pictorial losses. Scientific analysis also shed valuable light on Marieschi’s technique and materials.
History
Founded in 960 by the Badoer family, the church of San Giovanni Evangelista was originally much smaller than its current structure and served as a private chapel for the patrician family. Its main entrance was located on the opposite side, directly opening onto the courtyard of the Badoer palace. Starting in 1301 and continuing through the 18th century, the church underwent a series of major renovations and expansions, as its use was granted to the members of the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista—a prominent lay confraternity whose meeting house stands directly opposite. Among the various renovation campaigns, one of the most significant took place in 1758 under the direction of Bernardino Maccaruzzi, the proto (head architect) of the Scuola and a pupil of Giorgio Massari. Following this transformation, Jacopo Marieschi installed his grand ceiling canvas, Saint John Adoring the Relic of the True Cross, further enhancing the church’s architectural splendor and the Scuola’s reverence for its precious relic.
Marieschi, a pupil of the Bellunese painter Gaspare Diziani, made significant artistic contributions to both the Church of San Giovanni and the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in the early 1760s. His work there greatly elevated his reputation, leading to multiple appointments as a professor and restorer at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Venice, where he ultimately became President in 1776. For the ceiling of the Scuola’s Chapter Hall, Marieschi created three remarkable canvases depicting apocalyptic narratives, including the dramatic Saint John’s Vision of the Throne and the Book of the Seven Seals. In addition, he painted four canvases depicting miracles attributed to Saint John the Evangelist, the patron saint of the Scuola, including Saint John the Evangelist Healing a Child and Saint John the Evangelist Turning Sticks and Stones into Gold and Gems, both of which were restored by Save Venice.
Saint John Adoring the Relic of the True Cross marks the beginning of Marieschi’s late period, defined by a more mature and confident use of color and compositional balance. In this work, he forges an independent artistic path, free from Giambattista Tiepolo’s influence. Instead, he draws inspiration from his earlier Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, particularly in the depiction of angels lifting and accompanying Saint John’s ascension. Rendered with luminous, sparkling brushstrokes and daring perspective, these figures highlight Marieschi’s mastery of light and movement.
The painting’s subject unites Saint John, the confraternity’s patron saint, with the relic of the True Cross, which was presented to the Scuola in 1369 and believed to have performed numerous healing miracles in Venice. These miraculous events were later immortalized in the Cycle of the True Cross, painted by some of the most prominent Venetian artists of the 15th century. Three of these narrative painting masterpieces—Gentile Bellini’s Miracle of the Relic of the True Cross at the Bridge of San Lorenzo and Procession in Piazza San Marco, along with Vittore Carpaccio’s Miracle of the Relic of the True Cross at the Rialto Bridge between—have been restored by Save Venice. The relic, preserved in a 15th-century reliquary restored by Save Venice, remains housed in the Scuola and is displayed annually for devotees in the Church of San Giovanni. This deeply revered ceremony has been performed for centuries by the Scuola’s members, who still today carry their treasured relic into the church, venerating it just as their holy patron does from the ceiling above.
Conservation
This conservation project represents a rare instance in which the artwork had never undergone a full restoration since its creation in 1760. As a result, the large rectangular ceiling painting was in very poor condition and required urgent intervention.
The painted surface was not only heavily darkened and obscured by a thick layer of grime and oxidized varnish, but also dry and brittle, with areas of flaking. The canvas had separated from its stretcher along the outer edges, causing a loss of proper tension that resulted in significant sagging of the central area, by roughly 20 cm, with an imminent risk that it could fall to the ground.
Before the painting could be removed from the ceiling, conservators applied a veiling of tissue paper and adhesive to protect the paint layer from crumbling during movement. It was then transported to a restoration laboratory, where an eight-month treatment began, focusing first on stabilizing the structural deterioration of the canvas and correcting its deformation.
Scientific analysis revealed only isolated traces of non-original material, such as varnish, suggesting that although the work may have undergone localized maintenance in situ, it had never been removed from the ceiling or otherwise altered. These investigations also shed light on Marieschi’s technique, confirming the pigments, binders, and ground preparation he used.
The heavy black patina of dirt and grime was carefully removed, and small losses in the paint layer were filled with stucco tinted to match the earth tones of the original ground. These fills were then reintegrated using reversible, conservation-grade colors, and a final protective varnish layer was applied.
