Save Venice is seeking a sponsor for the conservation of the Stern Lantern “Fanale” from Girolamo Maria Balbi’s Galley at the Museo Correr.

*Published sponsorship costs are subject to change due to conservation plan modifications and fluctuations in exchange rates.

Please contact kim@savevenice.org today for more information and the latest cost estimates.

The 18th-century galley lantern—or fanale—preserved today in the Museo Correr is an exceptional survivor of Venetian naval material culture and a powerful testament to the visual language of authority that defined the maritime identity of the Serenissima. Originally crafted for Gerolamo Maria Balbi—Provveditore Generale in Dalmatia and Albania between 1751 and 1753—this fanale embodies the intersection of aristocratic patronage, naval command, and ceremonial display that characterized the Venetian fleet at the height of its power.

Balbi, a member of one of the most prominent patrician families of 18th-century Venice, is commemorated in portraits now held at the Ca’ Rezzonico Museum. In a refined pastel by Marianna Carlevarjis, he appears alongside individual portraits of his wife Cornelia Foscolo Balbi and their children Marco and Caterina, all restored by Save Venice. His public persona is more forcefully articulated in a grand full-length portrait painting by Fortunato Pasquetti, in which he is depicted standing with the baton of command, dressed in a richly embroidered red garment and gold mantle that proclaim both rank and magnificence.

Crucially, Balbi’s own stern lantern is visible in the background of Pasquetti’s painting, where it can be glimpsed on the stern of his flagship, the Galea San Lorenzo, during a naval battle. After its service at sea, the fanale was transferred to the family residence, where it was displayed in the entrance hall of Palazzo Balbi at San Vio on the Grand Canal alongside stone busts of naval commanders, armor, halberds, helmets, and cannonballs—a deliberate celebration of Venetian martial heritage.

Within Venetian naval tradition, stern lanterns were both functional and symbolic. Mounted on a tall pole and supported from below, they rose high above the vessel as radiant markers of command. The stern itself was the operational heart of the galley—the site of leadership and tactical decision-making—making the lantern a highly visible sign of authority rather than a mere source of illumination. The number of lanterns displayed was strictly regulated by rank. A single fanale, such as Balbi’s, was reserved for officers entitled to command a squadron, including the Provveditore Generale d’Armata, the Capitano delle Galeazze, the Capitano in Golfo, and the Governatore dei condannati. Although galleys remained state property, they bore the family name of their commander, while decorative elements—including the fanale—were privately financed and retained as family possessions. These objects thus functioned as enduring expressions of lineage, prestige, and taste.

Donated to the Museo Correr in 1903, today Balbi’s fanale stands as both a material relic and a symbolic document of Venetian maritime culture. Its gilded copper surface—once gleaming above the stern of the Galea San Lorenzo—would have projected Balbi’s authority across the waters, framed by his coat of arms adorned with playful putti. Removed from its original nautical setting, the lantern now invites reflection on the spectacle of Venetian naval power, in which light, gold, heraldry, and ceremonial display combined to manifest the political and cultural authority of the Republic across the Mediterranean world.

The fanale is mounted on a wood-and-concrete pedestal designed by the renowned architect Carlo Scarpa, which both supports and visually frames the object. Over time, however, the surface of the gilded copper has become largely obscured by an altered black patina, dulling its original brilliance—though traces of the gold remain visible in areas of earlier cleaning.

The restoration will be carried out in situ, within the museum galleries open to the public. Small cleaning tests on the gilded copper will guide a carefully controlled surface treatment, undertaken with cotton swabs and appropriate solvents to remove disfiguring deposits while respecting the historic finish. Conservation will also address localized perforations in the body of the lantern, where the surrounding metal appears weakened. A protective coating will then be applied to slow future deterioration and ensure the lantern’s long-term stability.

The wooden structural core will receive equal attention. Its surface will be gently dusted with soft-bristle brushes before undergoing a preventive treatment against woodworm. Finally, the wood will be nourished and protected with raw linseed oil and compatible waxes, chosen to respect the material and character of the historic object.

Unidentified artist (18th century)
Girolamo Maria Balbi’s Galley Stern Lantern “Fanale”
18th century, gilded copper and wood

Fontana, Gianiacopo. Cento palazzi tra i più celebri di Venezia. Venice: P. Naratovich, 1865

Humphrey, Nick and Martino Ferrari Bravo. New light on a Venetian lantern at the V&A. “Renaissance Studies,” 24, 1, 2010, pp. 71-93

Nani Mocenigo, Mario. Storia della Marina Veneziana da Lepanto alia caduta della Repubblica. Rome: Ministero della Marina, 1935

Nebbia, Ugo. “Antichi fanali navali veneziani.” Bollettino d’Arte del Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, IV, 2, 1924, pp. 49-69

Pedrocco, Filippo. Ca’ Rezzonico. Museo del Settecento Veneziano. Guida completa. Venice: Marsilio, 2005