Monument to the Valier Family

The Valier funeral monument was erected for the Doge Bertuccio Valier (1656-58), his wife Elisabetta Querini Valier (d. 1709), and their son Doge Silvestro Valier (1694-1700). Architect Andrea Tirali was aided in the decoration by a number of artists, three of whom can be clearly identified since they signed their work: Giovanni Bonazza, Antonio Tarsia, and Pietro Baratta, three of the best-known sculptors of their day.

The Valier monument was ambitious. Its debt to Longhena's mausoleum for Doge Giovanni Pesaro is combined with references to the Morosini monument by Filippo Parodi. The drama of the monument comes from the drapery which forms the backdrop against which the three figures of the doge's family stand: Bertuccio Valier is in the middle between his wife and their son.

Bonazza's contribution to the monument is the group of Virtue Crowning Merit, placed in the centre of the two arches, and the relief of Time on one of the marble sections of the base. This group, showing clearly the influence of Parodi, is flanked by the pendant statues Liberality by Antonio Tarsia and Wisdom by Pietro Baratta. Both derive from Josse De Corte's earlier models. Similarly, Peace and Charity are signed by Tarsia and Baratta. The work of both artists stands out for its high quality.