The Giants' Staircase
Antonio Rizzo, with statues by Jacopo Sansovino (Rizzo about 1430 to 1499; Sansovino 1486 to 1570) · 1483 to 1491; statues 1567
You are standing in the courtyard, looking up at the ceremonial staircase of the Venetian Republic. At the top, framed by the arch of the loggia, stand two colossal marble figures, Mars on the left and Neptune on the right, and it is from them that the staircase takes its name. Between the giants, on the landing, each new Doge was crowned. He climbed these steps, swore his oath to the Republic, and the youngest member of the Council placed on his head the corno, the stiff horned cap that was the emblem of his office. Everything about the staircase was designed to make that moment look inevitable and grand.
Look closely at the balustrades and the walls on either side. Antonio Rizzo, the architect who rebuilt this wing after a fire in 1483, covered every surface with delicate carved reliefs: trophies, foliage, winged victories and the emblems of the Republic, cut so finely that they look like lace in the morning light. The two giants were added much later, in 1567, by Jacopo Sansovino, the architect of the Library across the Piazzetta. Mars stands for Venetian power on land and Neptune for its dominion over the sea, the two halves of the state summed up in a pair of statues.
The staircase was a stage as much as a way upstairs. Ambassadors were received here, and the loggia at the top was where the Doge appeared to the crowd. The most memorable story attached to it belongs to Doge Marino Falier, who tried to seize absolute power in 1355 and was beheaded at the top of the older stairway that stood on this spot. His portrait in the Hall of the Great Council is painted over with a black cloth. When you stand at the foot of the steps, remember that for four centuries this was the point where an elected man was turned into a prince.
Did You Know? The statues of Mars and Neptune were carved by Sansovino when he was already over eighty years old.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.