Cavalli, next to the Post Office

Works, 11.368 lists the Palazzo Cavalli ‘opposite the Academy of Arts’ and the Casa Cavalli ‘next the Casa Grimani (or Post Office)’.

The building near the Post Office is called ‘good Gothic’ by Ruskin at Works, 11.368. It is the Palazzo Corner Contarini dei Cavalli at San Marco 3978, Nadali & Vianello (1999) Tav. 29. The Post Office was Sanmichele's Palazzo Grimani, now the Court of Appeal, at San Marco 4041. The apparent chronology of the notes referring to the Palazzo Cavalli said to be ‘near’ or ‘next’ to the Post Office suggests that Ruskin did not give his attention to it until the end of this visit.

Usually when Ruskin refers in the Notebooks to the Palazzo Cavalli without qualification he has in mind the building ‘opposite the Academy of Arts’. That is odd since Ruskin sees the Cavalli next the post office as the more important building. However, Selvatico (1847) pp.113-4 and 522 similarly distinguishes between the Cavalli and the ‘Cavalli alle Poste’, and includes the latter with a group consisting of:

• ‘Bernardo al tragitto della Madonnetta’ (presumably, the Palazzo Bernardo on the Grand Canal at San Polo 1978, not the Palazzo Bernardo at San Polo 2195 to which Ruskin refers at Notebook M p.121 and Notebook M p.160. See Works, 11.364 for both),
• ‘Toppan al tragitto della calle dei Botteri’ (presumably, the Palazzo Morosini-Brandolin, San Polo 1789, Nadali & Vianello (1999) Tav. 17: see Gothic Book p.57),
• ‘l’albergo Danieli’,
• ‘Pisani a S.Polo, e finalmente lo sfarzoso dei Foscari futturo ricetto alle scuole technice’.

Palazzo Cavalli, with on the left the edge of the Palazzo Grimani, the Post Office in 1849

See also here and for details of the tracery here.

[Version 0.05: May 2008]