Funeral Monument of Almerico d'Este, d.1666

unknown sculptor, c. 1666
(cleaning and restoration, 1997)

This imposing Baroque tomb, located on the right side of the nave of the church, can be described as simple, almost severe in style. The sculptor of the d'Este monument is not known, but since Baldassare Longhena, Melchiore Barthel and Josse Lecorte were all working at the same time on the more flamboyant tomb for Doge Giovanni Pesaro, located on the other side of the nave, it is likely that one or all had a hand in it.

The young prince, Almerico d'Este, was a condottiere employed by Venice who died in Crete fighting the Turks. The Venetian Senate commissioned this memorial to him. It was one of the few monuments in the Frari ever dedicated to a foreigner. Cleaning has brought out the brilliance and varied color of the marbles that had once been gray. The winged lion of Saint Mark, at the top of the monument, is carved in wood and painted to resemble marble. It is one of the few in Venice not destroyed by Venetians following the fall of the Republic. Most of the winged lions seen today are post-1800 replacements. In the center of the monument, below the lion, is the life-size standing statue of the young prince. On either side, green marble columns frame the figure, which stands on a green marble sarcophagus. By restoring the original colors of the marbles, the composition regained its former unity.