- Gallery: Room 90
- Maker: Jacopo de' Barbari
- Date: 1498-1500
- Object type: print
- Materials: paper
- Museum number: 1895,0122.1192-1197
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a striking woodcut print titled "Bird's Eye View of Venice from the South." Created in the late 1400s, you're looking at Venice as it appeared from the water, with buildings, bridges, and landmarks arranged in an intricate layout.
The print uses six joined sheets of paper, and each part was carved separately from a different wooden block. If you look closely at the top of the composition, you'll find a figure representing Mercury, holding a staff with two snakes—one of Jacopo de’ Barbari’s personal symbols.
At the time, Venice was a thriving city, and this print shows the Piazza San Marco with the Campanile’s temporary roof, reflecting a recent fire. Around the print’s edge, you can see the names of eight winds and locations in lettering, offering a historical snapshot of the city’s identity.
This print was made by Jacopo de’ Barbari, part of the Italian printmaking tradition, and it's a rare example of Renaissance topography at its finest.
See it in person
Print is on display in Room 90 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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