3-095-223 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Street Comedians on the Square, mid-late 17th century. Entertainment in the Piazzetta di San Marco in Venice. A crowd watches performers on a makeshift stage outside the Doge's Palace. The man in a tall hat, spectacles, ruff, and cloak with red crucifixes is probably some sort of military official. On the right is a group of bearded men in turbans, probably visitors to the city, reflecting its significance as an international port and trading centre. In the background are the Columns of San Marco, with the winged lion of Venice, and the Column of San Teodoro.