(Venice 1830–1887)
Mustering the soldiers, signed, dated Giulio Carlini Venezia 1864,
oil on canvas laid down on board, 103.5 x 85 cm, framed, (W)

The Italian painter Giulio Carlini completed his artistic training at the Academy in Venice between 1845 and 1850, specialising in the genre scenes and portraiture which would lead to his renown. His portrait subjects included famous historical figures, such as Austria’s General Radetzky and France’s Emperor Napoleon III on horseback. He became well-known in his role as an official painter for the Kingdom of Italy and through his history paintings depicting Venice’s past. He was a member of the Accademia di belle arti di Venezia, of which he was Consigliere from 1873 onwards, and a member of the Accademia Raffaello Sanzio in Urbino from 1879 onwards. Numerous portrait studies were created as a result of his travels through Belgium, Holland, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria. He was a well-rounded, inventive painter, who often resorted to historic themes in his works.
This imposing, large-format history painting displays a lavish colour palette in the style of the Old Masters. It likely depicts an episode from the war of Chioggia (1378-1381), which was the climax of the long-established rivalry between the two sea powers of Venice and Genoa for supremacy in the Mediterranean.
After the Genovese fleet had taken Chioggia, they continued to press into Venice’s lagoon and took hold of parts of the Lido. In the face of such pressure from the enemy, the citizens of Venice called for the sea hero Vittore Pisani. Pisani had made a name for himself in previous sea battles, however, after a defeat at Pula, he had lost large swathes of his fleet, disgraced himself, and been imprisoned. In this predicament, the call for him (“Viva Messer Vittore Pisani!”) among the Venetians was so vociferous that the Senate, presided over by the Doge, was moved to bring Pisani back into favour and transfer to him control of all available forces to defend against the Genoese. 
This lot depicts the decisive moment at which Pisani takes command. Even in the details of his depiction of Pisani, Carlini relies on the statue of him at his grave in Zanipolo, and resituates this historical event to take place inside St. Mark’s Basilica. In the midst of the despairing Venetian citizens, who have grabbed hold of anything that could serve as weapons, Pisani stands on the steps that lead from the nave to the sanctuary. He is holding the flag of Venice as a symbol of his readiness to take responsibility and lead. The Doge and Patriarch of Venice, present at this event, sit on thrones to his left. 
There is great variation in how Carlini depicts the individual figures in the crowd, in terms of movement, rotation and viewpoint, which enables him to capture the tension of this moment. It also allows him to align himself with the great Venetian painters like Veronese, who greatly influenced his entire oeuvre.