Andrea Palladio and Paolo Veronese - Villa Barbaro in Maser

Villa Barbaro in Maser. Villa Barbaro represents an important typological model of the Venetian villa in the 15th century. It is located in Maser, not far from Asolo, in Trevigiano, and was designed by Andrea Palladio for the brothers Daniele and Marcantonio Barbaro, eminent figures in the cultural panorama of the time. The villa is arranged in length with a compact sequence of rooms. Two large porticated bodies are arranged symmetrically compared to the residential nucleus, located in the center and enclosed at both ends by the boats which testify to the agricultural destination of the complex. These are arranged on a single floor, but the residential part is higher and is underlined in the facade by four powerful semi-columns that culminate in the tympanum. The warehouses, on the other hand, are marked by arched openings that highlight the productive use, while the boats emerge in the facade thanks to the elegant arched crowning. The residential body, placed in the center, is composed of a large cross room, called a crossroom, which distributes four rooms arranged symmetrically. The room is passing and connects the living areas with the outside establishing a relationship of continuity between the built environment and nature. There are two gardens in Maser, one in front and the other on the back of the villa, adorned by a nymphaeum. Starting from 1561, Paolo Veronese adorned the interior of the villa with a cycle of frescoes. The iconographic project exalts the harmony of the cosmos, guided by divine wisdom, which manifests itself in the peace and prosperity of the Earth and the Barbarian family. The forms in which this happy condition is expressed are identified in music, love, fertility and fortune. In the landscapes there are numerous references to Roman architecture with remains of villas in Palatine and Tiber Island. Passing through the different rooms, we meet mythological, religious, astrological subjects and everyday scenes in harmonious continuity. Exhibits of the Barbarian family, characters of servitude and ancient deities, are compared in the same spaces between the moons, niches and painted balconies. In the center is the room called the Olympus, whose octagonal ceiling is decorated with the image of divine wisdom surrounded by the gods, with a personalization of the four elements and seasons. Next to the classical and allegorical motifs, there are also pieces of serene realism with figures belonging to a festive daily life. Among the fake architectures, there are also painted landscapes that ideally extend the space towards the surrounding countryside. They share the same bright and diffuse light. In the crossroom, finally, eight figures of young girls, musicians, are placed between niches and paintings, thus combining the allusion to musical harmony and classical harmony. Veronese seems to want to measure classically with the limpid Palladian architecture, studying the prospective illusionisms so that the painted space integrates with the real space, without overshadowing it or emphasizing it. The painter shows a particular attention to classical citations, both from the iconographic and stylistic point of view. He also reaches a very high level in the use of color, tuned to light and luminous tones, through contrasting scales spread to wide areas and enhanced by the monochromy of the painted architectures.