Noel Georges Bouvard, (French, 1912–1975)
The Doge's Palace and the columns of St. Theodore and the Lion of Venice
Oil on canvas
50 x 65 cm. (19.7 x 25.6 in.)
Private collection
The Column of the Lion and the Column of St. Theodore of Amasea, now located in Piazzetta San Marco, are examples of works coming from the East. They come out of the Venetian participation in the Crusades, concluding in the Sack of Constantinople in 1204. While their origins are uncertain, they represent the city as major landmarks in the region of the Doge’s Palace. The columns themselves seem to come from Constantinople. The Lion of Venice is an ancient bronze winged lion sculpture in the Piazza San Marco. It came to symbolize the city — as well as one of its patron saints, St Mark — after its arrival there in the 12th century. The sculpture surmounts one of two large granite columns in the Square. It has had a very long and obscure history, probably starting its existence as a winged lion-griffin statue on a monument to the god Sandon at Tarsus around 300 BC. At some point came to represent the “Lion of Saint Mark”, traditional symbol of Saint Mark the evangelist. The figure standing on the western column is St. Theodore of Amasea, patron of the city before St Mark, who holds a spear and stands on a crocodile (to represent the dragon which he was said to have slain). It is also made up of separate pieces of antique statues, including a crocodile, a torso and a head. The statue on the column is a copy with the original being kept in the Doge's Palace. More on The Columns of the Lion and St. Theodore
Bouvard Noel George, 1912-1972, was born on the 25 December, 1912 in Paris, the son of Eloi
Noel Beraud, better known as Marc Aldine or Antoine Bouvard. He was a
recognised artist of architectural and landscape paintings, however, like his
father he became best known for his works of Venetian canals. After studying at
Ecole des Beaux Artists he became very influenced by his father and they worked
together for many years from 1935 to 1950. Like his father, he often went to
Venice to prepare his sketches and drafts from which he was able to create the
flowing landscapes and harmonious arrangements, which made his paintings highly
sought after in France as well as the UK. Bouvard places the scene carefully on
the canvas with surrounding buildings reflecting in the water, and portrays the
heat of the sun in its reflection against the stone surfaces. More
on Bouvard Noel George
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