Palazzo Labia - Interior

Interior

The double height palazzo ballroom (or Salone delle Feste) is entirely frescoed with scenes from the Romantic encounters of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra. These frescoes were a collaboration between Tiepolo and Girolamo Mengozzi Colonna. The frescos are framed by architectural elements in trompe l'oeil, featuring doorways, windows and balconies.Through the illusionary elements we view the encounter of Anthony and the Egyptian Queen at a banquet, while from the painted balconies and upper windows members of Cleopatra's court seem to look down. It is though the models for these figures were members of the Labia's household. In the scene Cleopatra dissolves her priceless pearl in a goblet of wine, demonstrating to Anthony her wealth; Maria Labia would have seen this as a metaphor to her nouveau riche position in Venetian society. It is said Maria Labia herself was the model for Cleopatra, but no documentary evidence supports the claim.

While Tiepolo's frescoes in the Ballroom are among his finest in Italy, they also display Tiepolo's shortcomings as an artist. He was totally uninterested in psychology a result of this, a debate continues today concerning the depiction (illustrated right) Marc Anthony and Cleopatra, is this the meeting or the parting of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. Some experts claim they can detect a certain haughtiness in Cleopatra's pose which indicate some form of farewell is intended, but opinion is strongly divided.

The remaining state rooms, built around the internal courtyard, pale in comparison to the ballroom, but this is purely because if inevitable comparison each is a masterpiece in its own right, the Green Damask Salone in addition to its sculpted fireplace of inlaid marble, contains huge frescoes, and a ceiling by Pompeo Batoni.