Eblouissante Venise - 18th C Arts of Venice - Grand Palais, Fête de la pêche 🐟 et de la Nature

In you're planning on gondoliering in Venice or for around the house elegance pick up a pair of colorful velvet Friulians made by CAPULETTE in the GRANDE PALAIS gift shop (70€) during new exhibit, EBLOUISSANTE VENISE (Magnificent Venice and the arts of Europe in the 18th century. (On till 21 January 2019).

This is a gréât exhibit to see if you're going to Venice, have just been or dream of going.

It will get you in the spirit of things completely.

Amazing paintings by Tiepolo, Guardi,  Canaletto.

And many by one of my favorites, Pietro Longhi.

There's even a resident lion of Venice ensconced. No roaring allowed.

To scale models of Venetian palazzos. When in Venice it can be almost too much to take in.

This exhibit is a way to prep or relive your Venice experience

What THEY wore. The lush fabrications for men and women.

18th century-style paper ballgowns provided by ISABELLE DE BORCHGRAVE hang from the ceiling as you go up to the second floor exhibits

All the decorative arts are represented

Music will be provided during evenings.

Vivaldi awaits in the wings.

My favorite Venetian artist CANALETTO was well represented.

Thanks to Elaine Sciolino, I went next day to the annual Fête de la pêche 🐟 et de la Nature held on l'Ile de la Jatte in Lavalloise-Perret. Kids are taught or anyone for that matter how to fish 🐟 

Boy Fishing

I sketched onsite dreaming of Canaletto...

Thanks for reading Parisbreakfast. 

If you'd like to receive Parisbreakfast letters 💌 maps & watercolors in your mailbox 📮 look in my Etsy shop. 

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"

The Wings of the Dove

18. Two Venice watercolors
Over the weekend I watched, The Wings of The Dove on Netflix to get into a Venetian state of mind. Utterly lush...

16. Purple gondola, watercolor, 8" x 11 1/4"

You'll be transported as I was I'm certain...

20. Two-part Venice watercolor, 4" x 13 1/2"

Don't miss Wings if you adore Venice...

17. Purple Moon, watercolor, 6" x 8 3/4"

Did I say I'm having a 3-day Venice watercolor sale thanks to treasures found lurking in my closet..?

These are all different sizes and on deckled edged watercolor paper...

12. Venice Gondola Passenger, watercolor, 7" x 8 1/4"

19. Two Venice watercolors

14. Blue dusk watercolor, 6 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Just 20 watercolors - some are doubles or two-part...

The Venice sale is on until Wednesday 11:59 PM (ET)

BONJOUR WINGS of the DOVE!

Gondola Fever

BEAR and I are too busy shipping out your chateaux to jump in a Venice canal and think about gondolas. But no reason YOU can't dream of gondolas.

'Gondolier Fever' has been going on since Canaletto and before after all.

It does look terribly relaxing.

Gondola dancing anyone?

Are there gondola parking lots?

Can you get a ticket for double parking?

Which would you rather have? ride in a gondola.

Or a pistachio gelato? I know my answer. Pistachio wins hands down.

I think I caught gondola fever from looking at this watercolor book by Jean-Louis Morelle. Though the only Venice scene is on the cover.

Please vote in the comments if you would like a gondola watercolor sale on Monday.

Oui or Non.

Chateaux are shipping out TODAY by Priority Mail not gondolas - too slow!

Lions of Venice

Along with the multitude of artichokes, gelaterias, and bridges in Venice, you can hardly walk two steps without bumping into a Lion.

The winged lion is Venice's symbol or mascot, since the remains of San Marco, the Evangelist, were stolen from a tomb in Alexandria, Egypt, and brought there in 828 AD. Vitorio Capaccio painted this lion in 1516. The lion is usually depicted with its paw on an book inscribed with the Latin motto goes: Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus.
Aka: Peace be with you Mark, my evangelist.
Being Mark the patron Saint of Venice.

This lion guards the Accademia bridge.

Another lion protecting the courtyard at La Fenice opera house.

Each of the arcades of Piazza San Marco have different lions heads. Fortunately not all are roaring at once.

Caffe Florian in San Marco sprinkles lion heads over it's china, napkins, and sugars. I know. I saved the sugar packets.

If a Venetian house has a door knocker, it's likely to be a lions head.

You can follow suit and bring home a lion knocker or doorbell.

Or a winged paper weight. I did not see any Lion masks. Did you?

For a while Venetians kept live lions in their gardens in the 16th century. For a longer while there were thousands of cats, but they were removed to a shelter on the Lido. This Fu dog (Lion of Buddha) is the most current lion to reside in Venice.

Venetians had a penchant for Rhinos as well, illustrated in this Pietro Longhi painting. You do still see a few. There was one on my street corner, fortunately in bronze. Donna Leon has yet to take up Venice's lion in her mystery books, but I've only read four.
The Venetian lion must be a good cell conductor. "Can you hear me now?" This one is lounging in Piazza Mani.

BONJOUR LIONS OF VENICE!