Generously sponsored by Arnold M. Bernstein.

Painted by Girolamo Forabosco, a pupil of Alessandro Varotari and influenced by Bernardo Strozzi, this large canvas was commissioned by Zuane (Giovanni) Ventura as an ex-voto, a token of gratitude for his and his relatives’ survival from a gondola shipwreck. The commission’s details are recorded in documents from a contemporary dispute between Forabosco and Ventura, dated between August 22, 1646, and January 2, 1647, which are now preserved in the Archivio di Stato in Venice. These documents not only confirm the painting’s date of 1646 but also indicate that this large canvas was likely painted in Malamocco, within the now lost convent of San Sebastiano, and subsequently placed in the presbytery of Santa Maria Assunta, where it remains to this day.

In 1674, Marco Boschini described Forabosco’s painting as “a votive offering depicting numerous men, women, boys, and girls disembarking from a boat, freed from a terrible sea storm by the Virgin.” Further insight comes from an 1863 inventory preserved at the Archive of the Malamocco parish church, which defines the painting’s subject as “the miraculous intervention of the Virgin, who saved the devotees from a shipwreck on June 14, 1610.” This ex-voto painting is highly unusual; typically, such works depict a perilous incident survived by the offeror and are of small dimensions and modest artistic quality. Forabosco’s piece thus stands out as a unique example in 17th-century Venetian painting history.

The composition is divided into two distinct zones: in the upper left corner, the Virgin sits with the Child on a cloud, attended by angels and flanked by Saints Felix and Fortunatus, the holy patrons of Malamocco. In the lower right corner, a dense group of figures portrays those saved from the shipwreck. Some figures are already on shore, while others are descending from a large, covered gondola. In the empty space between the two groups, a hat flies, caught in the wind. While depicting a miraculous event, the painting also serves as a vibrant array of portraits, offering a compelling glimpse into the artist’s ability to capture individual personalities within a cohesive narrative. Widely regarded as Forabosco’s masterpiece, this painting is one of the finest depictions of 17th-century Venetian costume and culture.

The painting was restored on several occasions, including in 1875, 1922, and 1959. Currently, the canvas shows adhesion issues between the original canvas and the relining canvas, causing bulges in the painted surface, mostly in the lower part of the painting, around a repaired tear, and near the figures. The painted surface also shows altered painted integrations and a general darkening of the varnish due to oxidation and the accumulation of dust and grime.

Girolamo Forabosco (1605 – 1679)
The Miraculous Rescue of a Shipwrecked Gondola
1646, oil on canvas
520 x 350 cm
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, Malamocco, Venezia

Marin, Chiara. Girolamo Forabosco. Verona: Cierre Edizioni, 2015

Pallucchini, Rodolfo. La pittura veneziana del Seicento. Venice: Alfieri, 1981, vol. 1

Vio, Gastone. Per la datazione del “telero” del Forabosco a Malamocco. In “Arte Veneta,” 38 (1984): 202-203