The Execution of Marino Faliero
London: George Barrie, 1864. Etching with engraving on buff cream laid paper, 12 x 6 inches (305 x 152 mm); sheet 16 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches (420 x 273 mm), full margins. Scattered areas of discoloration and toning, notation in pencil in the lower right sheet area, beneath the platemark.
Marino Faliero, the 55th Doge of Venice, was beheaded for treason on April 17, 1355, at the top of the "del Piombo" staircase in the Doge's Palace. After his plot to overthrow the government was discovered, he was sentenced to death, executed, and his portrait was replaced with a black veil. Here Faliero's body lies at the bottom of the steps, while the executioner holds the sword used in the beheading high above his shoulder in one hand, and Faliero's head, mostly obscured by the balustrade, in the other.
Item number: 2167
Price: $125.00
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