Palazzo Pisani Moretta Historical Timeline

Origins

The palace was originally built in the 15th century for the Bembo family, on the Grand Canal between what are now Palazzo Tiepolo and Palazzo Barbarigo della Terrazza.

Turning points

Ownership passed to the wealthy Pisani Moretta family, who extended the building over successive centuries; the palace took on its present appearance in the 18th century, at the height of its use for entertaining and displaying art.

Influential people

The palace once hosted Tsar Paul of Russia, Joséphine Bonaparte, and Joseph II of Austria among its guests, and displayed major works including Paolo Veronese's "The Family of Darius before Alexander" (now in London's National Gallery) and a ceiling painting by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, "The Chariots of Aurora" (now at the Biltmore House in North Carolina).

Cultural evolution

Like many Venetian palaces, it was left largely abandoned by the end of the 19th century as the families who once filled it with art and guests declined.

Present-day significance

Extensive restoration in recent decades has returned much of the palace's original furnishing and decoration, and it is now known as much for hosting Il Ballo del Doge, a masquerade ball held during the Venetian Carnival, as for its own history.