View source for Biblioteca Marciana

{{short description|Library in Venice, Italy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox library
| name = Marciana Library
| image = Biblioteca_Maricana-eastern_facade.jpg
| image_size = 260
| alt = photograph of main façade
| caption = Main façade
| location = Saint Mark's Square<br />Venice, Italy
| established = 1468
| specialization = Classics and Venetian history
| collection_size = 13,117 manuscripts<br />2,887 ''incunabula''<br />24,060 ''cinquecentine''<br />1,000,000 (''circa'') post-sixteenth-century books
| mapframe = no
| module = {{Infobox building|embed=yes
 | image = (Venice) Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - Interior.jpg
 | image_size = 260
 |alt=photograph of reading room
 | caption = Reading room
 | mapframe = no
 | style =
 | architect= Jacopo Sansovino<!--
-->{{infobox|child=yes
 | label1 = Style
 | data1 = High Renaissance
 | label2 = Construction
 | data2 = {{start date|df=yes|1537}}–{{end date|df=yes|1588}}
 | label3 = Notable artists
 | data3 = Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Battista Franco, Giuseppe Salviati, Andrea Schiavone
 }}
 }}
}}

The '''Marciana Library''' or  '''Library of Saint Mark''' ({{langx|it|'''Biblioteca Marciana'''}}, but in historical documents commonly referred to as the {{lang|it|Libreria pubblica di san Marco}}) is a [[public library]] in [[Venice]], Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for [[manuscript]]s in Italy and holds one of the world's most significant collections of [[Classics|classical texts]]. It is named after [[Mark the Evangelist|St Mark]], the [[patron saint]] of the city.

The library was founded in 1468 when the [[Renaissance humanism|humanist scholar]] Cardinal [[Bessarion]], [[Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Frascati|bishop of Tusculum]] and titular [[Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople|Latin patriarch of Constantinople]], donated his collection of Greek and Latin manuscripts to the [[Republic of Venice]], with the stipulation that a library of public utility be established. The collection was the result of Bessarion's persistent efforts to locate rare manuscripts throughout Greece and Italy and then acquire or copy them as a means of preserving the [[Ancient Greek literature|writings of the classical Greek authors]] and the [[Byzantine literature|literature of Byzantium]] after the [[fall of Constantinople]] in 1453. His choice of Venice was primarily due to the city's large [[Greek community of Venice|community of Greek refugees]] and its historical ties to the [[Byzantine Empire]]. The Venetian government was slow, however, to honour its commitment to suitably house the manuscripts with decades of discussion and indecision, owing to a series of military conflicts in the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries and the resulting climate of political uncertainty. The library was ultimately built during the period of recovery as part of a vast programme of urban renewal aimed at glorifying the republic through architecture and affirming its international prestige as a centre of wisdom and learning.

The original library building is located in [[Piazza San Marco|Saint Mark's Square]], Venice's former governmental centre, with its long façade facing the [[Doge's Palace]]. Constructed between 1537 and 1588, it is considered the masterpiece of the architect [[Jacopo Sansovino]] and a key work in [[Venetian Renaissance architecture]].<ref name=Hartt-633>[[#Hartt-History|Hartt, ''History of Italian Renaissance Art'']], p.&nbsp;633</ref><ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;28</ref> The Renaissance architect [[Andrea Palladio]] described it as "perhaps the richest and most ornate building that there has been since ancient times up until now" ({{lang|it|"il più ricco ed ornato edificio che forse sia stato da gli Antichi in qua"}}).<ref>[[#Palladio-libri|Palladio, ''I quattro libri dell'architettura...'']], p.&nbsp;5</ref> The art historian [[Jacob Burckhardt]] regarded it as "the most magnificent secular Italian building" ({{lang|de|"das prächtigste profane Gebäude Italiens"}}),<ref>[[#Burckhardt-Cicerone|Burckhardt, ''Der Cicerone eine Anleitung zum Genuss der Kunstwerke Italiens'']], p.&nbsp;325</ref> and [[Frederick Hartt]] called it "one of the most satisfying structures in Italian architectural history".<ref name=Hartt-633/> Also significant for its art, the library holds many works by the great painters of sixteenth-century Venice, making it a comprehensive monument to Venetian [[Mannerism]].<ref>[[#Humfrey-Painting|Humfrey, ''Painting in Renaissance Venice'']], p.&nbsp;194</ref>

Today, the building is customarily referred to as the '{{lang|it|italic=no|Libreria sansoviniana}}' and is largely a museum. Since 1904, the library offices, the reading rooms, and most of the collection have been housed in the adjoining [[Zecca of Venice|Zecca]], the former mint of the Republic of Venice. The library is now formally known as the {{lang|it|italic=no|Biblioteca nazionale Marciana}}. It is the only official institution established by the Venetian Republican government that survives and continues to function.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;407</ref>

==Historical background==
{{See also|History of libraries#Renaissance}}

Cathedral libraries and [[History of libraries#European Middle Ages|monastic libraries]] were the principal centres of study and learning throughout Italy in the [[Middle Ages]]. But beginning in the fifteenth century, the [[Renaissance humanism|humanist]] emphasis on the [[Classics|knowledge of the classical world]] as essential to the formation of the [[Renaissance man]] led to a proliferation of court libraries, patronized by princely rulers, several of which provided a degree of public access.<ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], pp.&nbsp;31–32</ref> In Venice, an early attempt to found a [[public library]] in emulation of the great libraries of [[Classical antiquity|Antiquity]] was unsuccessful, as [[Petrarch]]'s [[Petrarch's library|personal collection]] of manuscripts, donated to the republic in 1362, was dispersed at the time of his death.<ref>[[#Pittoni-libreria|Pittoni, ''La libreria di san Marco'']], pp.&nbsp;5–10</ref><ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], pp.&nbsp;32–33</ref>

[[File:Bessarion, Letter to the doge and senate of Venice.jpg|thumb|left|alt= illuminated letter from fifteenth-century manuscript|Cardinal Bessarion's letter to Doge Cristoforo Moro and the Senate of Venice, announcing the donation of his library. BNM Lat. XIV, 14 (= 4235), fol. 1r.]]
In 1468, the Byzantine humanist and scholar Cardinal [[Bessarion]] donated his collection of 482 Greek and 264 Latin [[codex|codices]] to the [[Republic of Venice]], stipulating that a public library be established to ensure their conservation for future generations and availability for scholars.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;17</ref><ref>[[#Pittoni-libreria|Pittoni, ''La libreria di san Marco'']], pp.&nbsp;10–19</ref><ref name=Raines-33>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum of Scholarly Library?...']], p.&nbsp;33</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;80–85</ref><ref group="note">Bessarion's private library was among the most important in the fifteenth century. In 1455, the collection of [[Pope Nicholas V]], the largest, contained 1209 codices. Significant private libraries belonged to [[Niccolò Niccoli]] (808 volumes) and [[Coluccio Salutati]] (''circa'' 800 volumes). Among the larger court libraries were those of the [[Visconti of Milan|Visconti]] (998 volumes in 1426), [[Federico da Montefeltro]] (772 volumes), the [[House of Este|Estensi]] (512 volumes in 1495), and the [[House of Gonzaga|Gonzaga]] (''circa'' 300 codices in 1407). With regard to the Greek codices, Bessarion's personal library was unrivaled in Western Europe. The Vatican collection, the second largest, included 414 Greek codices in 1455. See [[#Zorzi-Biblioteca|Zorzi, ''Biblioteca Marciana'']], p.&nbsp;20.</ref> The formal letter announcing the donation, dated 31 May 1468 and addressed to Doge [[Cristoforo Moro]] ({{reign|label=in office|1462|1471}}) and the [[Venetian Senate|Senate]], narrates that following the [[fall of Constantinople]] in 1453 and its devastation by the [[History of the Ottoman Empire|Turks]], Bessarion had set ardently about the task of acquiring the rare and important works of [[ancient Greece]] and [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]] and adding them to his existing collection so as to prevent the further dispersal and total loss of Greek culture. The cardinal's stated desire in offering the manuscripts to Venice specifically was that they should be properly conserved in a city where many [[Greek community in Venice|Greek refugees]] had fled and which he himself had come to consider "another Byzantium" ({{lang|la|"alterum Byzantium"}}).<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;27–28, 147–149</ref><ref group="note">The formal letter announcing the donation is preserved in Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana ms Lat. XIV, 14 (=4235) and is [http://www.internetculturale.it/jmms/iccuviewer/iccu.jsp?id=oai%3A193.206.197.121%3A18%3AVE0049%3ACSTOR.244.13997&mode=all&teca=marciana on-line] at {{ill|Internet Culturale|it|Internet Culturale}}. The documents relative to the donation are transcribed in [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;147–156.</ref><ref group="note">The legal act of donation preceded the formal announcement and is dated 14 May 1468. See [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], p.&nbsp;27, 153–156 and [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;82.</ref>

Bessarion's first contact with Venice had been in 1438 when, as the newly ordained [[Metropolis of Nicaea|metropolitan bishop of Nicaea]], he arrived with the Byzantine delegation to the [[Council of Florence|Council of Ferrara-Florence]], the objective being to heal the [[East–West Schism|schism]] between the Catholic and Orthodox churches and unite [[Christendom#History|Christendom]] against the Ottoman Turks.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Bessarione|Zorzi, 'Bessarione e Venezia']], pp.&nbsp;197–201</ref> His travels as envoy to Germany for [[Pope Pius II]] brought him briefly to the city again in 1460 and 1461.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Bessarione|Zorzi, 'Bessarione e Venezia']], p.&nbsp;204</ref><ref group="note">For a detailed discussion of Bessarion's legation to Germany and the attempts to raise troops for a crusade, see Kenneth M. Setton, ''The Papacy and the Levant (1204–1571), vol. II, The Fifteenth Century'' (Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1978), pp.&nbsp;213–218, {{ISBN|0871691272}}.</ref> On 20 December 1461, during the second stayover, he was admitted into the Venetian aristocracy with a seat in the [[Great Council of Venice|Great Council]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''…]], p.&nbsp;204</ref><ref group="note">The deliberation of the Great Council is in the State Archives of Venice in ''Grazie Maggior Consiglio'', fol.&nbsp;75v (in ''Avogaria di Comun'', b. 168, fasc.&nbsp;6).</ref>

[[File:Giusto_di_Gand-Bessarione.jpg|thumb|right|alt= painted portrait of Cardinal Bessarione|[[Justus van Gent]], ''Portrait of Cardinal Bessarion'' ({{circa|1473–1476}}). Bessarion was created [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] on 8 January 1440 by [[Pope Eugene IV]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;27</ref>]]
In 1463, Bessarion returned to Venice as the [[papal legate]], tasked with negotiating the republic's participation in a crusade to liberate Constantinople from the Turks.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Bessarione|Zorzi, 'Bessarione e Venezia']], p.&nbsp;205</ref> For the duration of this extended sojourn (1463–1464), the cardinal lodged and studied in the [[Benedictines|Benedictine]] monastery of [[San Giorgio Monastery|San Giorgio Maggiore]], and it was to the monastery that he initially destined his Greek codices which were to be consigned after his death.<ref name=Raines-33/><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;79–80</ref> But under the influence of the humanist Paolo Morosini and his cousin Pietro, the Venetian ambassador to Rome, Bessarion annulled the legal act of donation in 1467 with papal consent, citing the difficulty readers would have had in reaching the monastery, located on a separate island.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;82–83</ref><ref group="note">The terms of Bessarion's original act of donation to the monastery of San Giorgio (untraced) are recorded in the [[papal bull]] authorizing the revocation that Pope Paul II issued on 16 September 1467. The text of the bull is published in G. Nicoletti, 'Bolla di Paolo II ed istrumento di donazione fatta della propria libreria dal cardinale Bessarione ai procuratori di s. Marco', ''Archivio Storico Italiano'', Serie terza, Vol. 9, No. 2, 54 (1869), pp.&nbsp;195–197. Also, abbreviated, in [[#Pittoni-libreria|Pittoni, ''La libreria di san Marco'']], pp.&nbsp;14–15 (note 1).</ref> The following year, Bessarion announced instead his intention to bequeath his entire personal library, both the Greek and Latin codices, to the Republic of Venice with immediate effect.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Bessarione|Zorzi, 'Bessarione e Venezia']], p.&nbsp;220</ref><ref group="note">Marino Zorzi attributes the sense of urgency in Bessarion's donation to the conspiracy to assassinate [[Pope Paul II]] in February 1468 and the resulting arrest, imprisonment, and torture of several noted Roman humanists, members of the Academy of [[Julius Pomponius Laetus]], who were largely associated with Bessarion's own intellectual circle. There were additional charges of heresy that reflected the pope's deep aversion to [[Platonism]], secular poetry, rhetoric, and astrology. Zorzi argues that in this climate of suspicion and repression, Bessarion would have been anxious to quickly remove his library to safety, outside the territory of the Papal States. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;80–82. For a detailed discussion of the assassination plot against Paul II, see Anthony F. D'Elia, ''A Sudden Terror: The Plot to Murder the Pope in Renaissance Rome'' (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009) {{ISBN|0674061810}}. For Paul II's relationship with Humanism, see A. J. Dunston, 'Pope Paul II and the Humanists', ''Journal of Religious History'', 7 (1983), pp.&nbsp;287–306 {{ISSN|1467-9809}}.</ref>

On 28 June 1468, Pietro Morosini took legal possession of Bessarion's library in Rome on behalf of the republic.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;83</ref> The bequest included the 466 codices which were transported to Venice in crates the next year.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, La libreria di san Marco...]], p.&nbsp;84</ref><ref group="note">The full inventory is published in [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;157–188.</ref><ref group="note">In the preliminary letter of acceptance, the Senate valued the manuscripts at 15,000 [[Ducat#Gold ducat of Venice|ducat]]s. The letter, dated 23 March 1468, is published in [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], p.&nbsp;124. For [[Bartolomeo Platina]], Bessarion's precious codices had cost 30,000 golden scudo. See Bartolomeo Platina, ''Panegyricus in Bessarionem doctiss. partriarcham Constantin'' (Colonia: [[Eucharius Cervicornus]], 1529) p.&nbsp;[9]. Regardless of the differing figures, the value was considerable: from several contemporary contracts, a well-paid professor earned 120 ducats a year. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La Libreria di San Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;60.</ref> To this initial delivery, more codices and ''[[Incunable|incunabula]]'' were added following the death of Bessarion in 1472. This second shipment, arranged in 1474 by [[Federico da Montefeltro]], departed from Urbino, where Bessarion had deposited the remainder of his library for safekeeping. It included the books that the cardinal had reserved for himself or had acquired after 1468.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Bessarione|Zorzi, 'Bessarione e Venezia'...]], p.&nbsp;221</ref>

Despite the grateful acceptance of the donation by the Venetian government and the commitment to establish a library of public utility, the codices remained crated inside the [[Doge's Palace]], entrusted to the care of the state historian under the direction of the [[Procurators of Saint Mark|procurators of Saint Mark ''de supra'']].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;87</ref> Little was done to facilitate access, particularly during the years of the [[Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479)|conflict against the Ottomans]] (1463–1479) when time and resources were directed towards the war effort.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library...'']], p.&nbsp;58</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;89</ref> In 1485, the need to provide greater space for governmental activities led to the decision to compress the crates into a smaller area of the palace where they were stacked, one atop the other.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;87–89</ref> Access became more difficult and on-site consultation impracticable.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library...'']], p.&nbsp;59</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;90</ref> Although codices were periodically loaned, primarily to learned members of the Venetian nobility and academics, the requirement to deposit a security was not always enforced.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;91–92</ref><ref group="note">Bessarion stipulated in the act of donation that the codices were to be available for loan, with the requirement that a security be deposited in the amount of twice the value of the codex. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;83.</ref> A few of the codices were subsequently discovered in private libraries or even for sale in local book shops.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;101–102</ref> In exceptional circumstances, copyists were allowed to duplicate the manuscripts for the private libraries of influential patrons: among others [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] commissioned copies of seven Greek codices.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;91</ref> During this period, reproduction of the manuscripts was rarely authorized for printers who needed working copies on which to write notes and make corrections whenever printing critical editions, since it was believed that the value of a manuscript would greatly decline once the ''[[editio princeps]]'' (first edition) had been published.<ref group="note">Senator Domenico Malipiero objected to expenditures for the construction of the library on the basis that the codices would have little value once the texts had been printed. This opinion persisted. In 1541, the [[Avogadoria de Comùn|Avogador]] Bernardo Zorzi criticized the ease with which copies were made on the grounds that they diminished the value and importance of the originals. Aldus Manutius himself wrote that the examples given to printers were destined to be torn up. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;92–93.</ref> Notably, [[Aldus Manutius]] was able to make only limited use of the codices for his [[Aldine Press|publishing house]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;92–93</ref><ref group="note">The Aldine editions of [[Xenophon]]'s ''[[Hellenica]]'' (1502) and [[Plutarch]]'s ''[[Moralia]]'' (1509) were based on Bessarion's codices. The manuscripts were also consulted for the works by [[Aristotle]] published between 1495 and 1498. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;93</ref>

Several prominent humanists, including [[Marcantonio Sabellico]] in his capacity as official historian and [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]], urged the government over time to provide a more suitable location, but to no avail.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;89, 98</ref> The political and financial situation during the long years of the [[Italian Wars]] stymied any serious plan to do so, notwithstanding the Senate's statement of intent in 1515 to build a library.<ref name="Howard, p. 18">[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;18</ref><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;192</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;98</ref><ref group="note">The deliberation of the Senate appropriated no funding and was without effect. It nevertheless constitutes the first proposal to construct a library rather than to simply find a suitable location for the collection. The deliberation of the Senate, dated 5 May 1515, is published in [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;130–131.</ref> Access to the collection itself was nevertheless improved after the appointment of [[Andrea Navagero]] as official historian and ''gubernator'' (curator) of the collection. During Navagero's tenure (1516–1524), scholars made greater use of the manuscripts and copyists were authorized with more frequency to reproduce codices for esteemed patrons, including [[Pope Leo X]], [[Francis I of France|King Francis I]] of France, and Cardinal [[Thomas Wolsey]], Lord High Chancellor of England.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;102–103</ref> More editions of the manuscripts were published in this period, notably by Manutius' heirs.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;102</ref> With the nomination of [[Pietro Bembo]] as ''gubernator'' in 1530 and the termination of the [[War of the League of Cognac]] in that same year, efforts to gather support for the construction of the library were renewed.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;105</ref> Probably at the instigation of Bembo, an enthusiast of classical studies, the collection was transferred in 1532 to the upper floor of the [[St Mark's Basilica|Church of Saint Mark]], the ducal chapel, where the codices were uncrated and placed on shelves.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library...'']], p.&nbsp;75</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;108</ref> That same year, Vettore Grimani pressed his fellow procurators, insisting that the time had come to act on the republic's long-standing intention to construct a public library wherein Bessarion's codices could be housed.<ref name="Howard, p. 18"/><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;125</ref><ref group="note">The record of the procurators’ proceedings is published in [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], p.&nbsp;132.</ref>

==Building==

===Construction===
[[File:Jacopo Tintoretto 027.jpg|thumb|left|alt=painted portrait of Jacopo Sansovino|[[Tintoretto]], ''Portrait of Jacopo Sansovino'' ({{circa|1566|lk=yes}})]]
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header = Saint Mark's Square
 | image1 = Diagram-Piazza San Marco.jpg
 | alt1 = colour-coded diagram of Saint Mark's Square
 | caption1 =
{{legend|#DCC476|a. [[St Mark's Basilica]]}}
{{legend|#DA9F8E|b. [[Doge's Palace]]}}
{{legend|#9D9084|c. [[St Mark's Campanile|Bell tower]] and [[Loggetta del Sansovino|Loggetta]]}}
{{legend|#689255|d. '''{{ font color | #333333 | Marciana Library}}'''
{{legend|#BF8255|e. [[Zecca of Venice|Mint]]}}
{{legend|#7F94A8|f. [[Procuratie#Procuratie Nuove|Procuratie Nuove]]}}
{{legend|#BF877E|g. [[Procuratie#Procuratie Nuovissime (Napoleonic Wing)|Napoleonic wing]]}}
{{legend|#7F94A8|h. [[Procuratie#Procuratie Vecchie|Procuratie Vecchie]]}}
{{legend|#D3A99D|i. [[St Mark's Clocktower|Clock tower]]}}
}}}}
The construction of the library was an integral part of the {{lang|la|Renovatio urbis}} (renewal of the city), a vast architectural programme begun under Doge [[Andrea Gritti]] ({{reign|label=in office|1523|1538}}). The programme was intended to heighten Venetian self-confidence and reaffirm the republic's international prestige after the earlier defeat at [[Battle of Agnadello|Agnadello]] during the [[War of the League of Cambrai|War of Cambrai]] and the subsequent [[War of the League of Cognac#Barcelona, Cambrai, and Bologna|Peace of Bologna]], which sanctioned [[Habsburg]] hegemony on the Italian peninsula at the end of the War of the League of Cognac.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;121–125</ref> Championed by the [[Grimani]] family, it called for the transformation of [[Piazza San Marco|Saint Mark's Square]] from a medieval town centre with food vendors, money changers, and even latrines into a [[Forum (Roman)|classical forum]]. The intent was to evoke the memory of the ancient [[Roman Republic]] and, in the aftermath of the [[Sack of Rome (1527)|Sack of Rome]] in 1527, to present Venice as Rome's true successor.<ref>[[#Chambers-Age|Chambers, ''The Imperial Age of Venice''...]], pp.&nbsp;12–13, 18–20, 25–30</ref><ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], pp.&nbsp;10–16</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;124.</ref> This would visually substantiate Venetian claims that, despite the republic's relative loss of political influence, its longevity and stability were assured by its constitutional structure, consisting in a [[mixed government]] modelled along the lines of the [[Classical republicanism|classical republics]].<ref>[[#Broderick-Custodian|Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom...']], p.&nbsp;15</ref><ref>[[#Howard-History|Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'']], p.&nbsp;136</ref><ref>[[#Rosand-Myths|Rosand, ''Myths of Venice...'']], p.&nbsp;3</ref><ref group="note">The customary interpretation of Venice as an example of the mixed government was that the monarchical element was identifiable in the doge, the aristocratic element in the Senate, and the democratic element in the Great Council. See John G. A. Pocock, ''The Machiavellian Moment: Florentine Political Thought and the Atlantic Republican Tradition'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975), pp.&nbsp;311–312.</ref>

Monumental in scale, the architectural programme was one of the most ambitious projects of urban renewal in sixteenth-century Italy.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], p.&nbsp;14</ref><ref>[[#Morolli-Scamozzi|Morolli, 'Vincenzo Scamozzi e la fabbrica delle Procuratie Nuove']], p.&nbsp;14</ref> In addition to the [[Zecca of Venice|mint]] (begun 1536) and the [[Loggetta del Sansovino|loggia]] of the bell tower of Saint Mark's (begun 1538),<ref>[[#Howard-History|Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'']], pp.&nbsp;144, 152</ref> it involved replacing the dilapidated thirteenth-century buildings that lined the southern side of the square and the area in front of the Doge's Palace. For this, the procurators of Saint Mark ''de supra'' commissioned [[Jacopo Sansovino]], their ''proto'' (consultant architect and buildings manager), on 14 July 1536.<ref name=Howard-147>[[#Howard-History|Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'']], p.&nbsp;147</ref><ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], pp.&nbsp;14–15</ref><ref name=Zorzi-127>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco...'']], p.&nbsp;127</ref> A refugee from the Sack of Rome, Sansovino possessed the direct knowledge and understanding of ancient Roman prototypes necessary to carry out the architectural programme.<ref>[[#Howard-History|Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'']], p.&nbsp;137</ref>

The commission called for a model of a three-storey building, but the project was radically transformed. On 6 March 1537, it was decided that the construction of the new building, now with only two storeys, would be limited to the section directly in front of the palace and that the upper floor was to be reserved for the [[Procuratie#Ridotti of the procurators|offices of the procurators]] and the library.<ref name=Zorzi-127/><ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], p.&nbsp;15</ref><ref group="note">The deliberation of the procurators is in the State Archives of Venice (PS, Atti, reg. 125, c.&nbsp;2) and is published in [[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;163.</ref> This would not only satisfy the terms of the donation, it would bring renown to the republic as a centre of wisdom, learning, and culture.<ref>[[#Rosand-Myths|Rosand, ''Myths of Venice...'']], p.&nbsp;105</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;124</ref> Significantly, the earlier decree of 1515, citing as examples the libraries [[Ulpian Library|in Rome]] and [[Hadrian's Library|in Athens]], expressly stated that a perfect library with fine books would serve as an ornament for the city and as a light for all of Italy.<ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], p.&nbsp;35</ref><ref group="note">Fragmentary descriptions of ancient libraries survive in classical literary sources. See [[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], pp.&nbsp;26 (notes 99 and 100 for bibliographical references). It has been suggested that specifically [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]]' description of [[Hadrian's Library]] in Athens may have served as an architectural prototype for the Marciana Library in consideration of the columns and gilded ceiling. The orientation of the library with the reading room facing east may have been influenced by Vitruvius' recommendation in ''De architectura'' (VI,4,1). See [[#Hartt-History|Hartt, ''History of Italian Renaissance Art'']], p.&nbsp;633.</ref>
{{clear left}}

====Sansovino's superintendence (1537–{{circa|1560}})====
Construction proceeded slowly. The chosen site for the library, although owned by the government, was occupied by five hostelries (Pellegrino, Rizza, Cavaletto, Luna, Lion) and several food stalls, many of which had long-standing contractual rights. It was thus necessary to find a mutually agreed upon alternative location, and at least three of the hostelries had to remain in the area of Saint Mark's Square.<ref name=Howard-19>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;19</ref> In addition, the hostelries and shops provided a steady flow of rental income to the procurators of Saint Mark ''de supra'', the magistrates responsible for the public buildings around Saint Mark's Square. So there was the need to limit the disruption of the revenue by gradually relocating the activities as the building progressed and new space was required to continue.<ref name=Howard-19/>
{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header = Construction of the<br />Marciana Library
 | image1 = Biblioteca Marciana-construction plan.jpg
 | alt1 = colour-coded floor plans of the Marciana Library
 | caption1 =
{{legend|#FAD9D0| a. area of meat market}}
{{legend|#D9DCE5| b. area of hostelries}}
{{legend|#ECE6BB| c. area of lean-to bread shops}}
}}
The lean-to bread shops and a portion of the Pellegrino hostelry adjoining the bell tower were demolished in early 1537.<ref name=Howard-19/> But rather than reutilizing the existing foundations, Sansovino built the library detached so as to make the bell tower a freestanding structure and transform Saint Mark's Square into a [[trapezoid]]. This was intended to give greater visual importance to the Church of Saint Mark located on the eastern side.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;15</ref><ref>[[#Lotz-trasformazione|Lotz, 'La trasformazione sansoviniana di Piazza S. Marco...']], p.&nbsp;114</ref>

[[File:Jost Amman-detail from Procession for the marriage with the sea.jpg|thumb|alt= sixteenth-century engraving of Saint Mark's Square|[[Jost Amman]], ''Procession for the Doge's Marriage with the Sea'' (detail), showing the meat market in the foreground and the unfinished library behind ({{circa|1565|lk=yes}})]]
Work was suspended following the [[Ottoman–Venetian War (1537–1540)]] due to lack of funding but resumed in 1543. The next year, 1544, the rest of the Pellegrino hostelry was torn down, followed by the Rizza.<ref name=Howard-19/> On 18 December 1545, the heavy masonry vault collapsed.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;20</ref><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;196</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;132</ref> In the subsequent enquiry, Sansovino claimed that workmen had prematurely removed the temporary wooden supports before the concrete had set and that a [[galley]] in the basin of Saint Mark, firing her cannon as a salute, had shaken the building. Nevertheless, the architect was sentenced to personally repay the cost of the damage, which took him 20 years.<ref name=Howard-21>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;21</ref><ref group="note">In 1565, the procurators discharged the remaining debt in exchange for sculptural work by Sansovino. The deliberation of the procurators, dated 20 March 1565, is in the State Archives of Venice (PS, Atti, reg. 130, c.&nbsp;72). See [[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], p.&nbsp;21.</ref> Further, his stipend was suspended until 1547. As a consequence of the collapse, the design was modified with a lighter wooden structure to support the roof.<ref name=Howard-21/><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;197</ref>

In the following years, the procurators increased funding by borrowing from trust funds, recovering unpaid rents, selling unprofitable holdings, and drawing upon the interest income from government bonds.<ref name=Howard-21and23>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], pp.&nbsp;21, 23</ref> Work proceeded rapidly thereafter. The Cavaletto hostelry was relocated in 1550.<ref name=Howard-21/> This was followed by the demolition of the Luna. By 1552, at least the seven [[Bay (architecture)|bay]]s in correspondence to the reading room, had been completed.<ref group="note">In 1552, the practice began of extracting by lot the use of the balconies by the procurators and their guests to observe the [[Carnival of Venice|carnival celebrations]] in the Piazzetta. That year, seven balconies were awarded. See [[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;21 and Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'', p.&nbsp;202.</ref> The commemorative plaque in the adjacent vestibule, corresponding to the next three bays, bears the date of the Venetian year 1133 (''i.e.'' 1554),<ref group="note">The Venetian year was calculated beginning with AD 421, the legendary year of the city's foundation on 25 March. See Edward Muir, ''Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981), pp.&nbsp;70–72.</ref> an indication that the end of construction was already considered imminent. By then, fourteen bays had been constructed.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;23</ref> However, owing to difficulties in finding a suitable alternative location, only in 1556 was the last of the hostelries, the Lion, relocated, allowing the building to reach the sixteenth bay in correspondence with the lateral entry of the mint.<ref name=Howard-21and23/> Beyond stood the central meat market. This was a significant source of rental income for the procurators, and construction was halted. The work on the interior decorations continued until about 1560.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;158</ref> Although it was decided five years later to relocate the meat market and continue the building,<ref name=Zorzi-135>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco...'']], p.&nbsp;135</ref> no further action was taken, and in 1570 Sansovino died.<ref name=Howard-147/>
{{clear left}}

====Scamozzi's superintendence (1582–1588)====
The meat market was demolished in 1581. The following year [[Vincenzo Scamozzi]] was selected to oversee the construction of the final five bays, continuing Sansovino's design for the façade.<ref name=Zorzi-135/> This brought the building down to the embankment of Saint Mark's Basin and into alignment with the main façade of the mint. Scamozzi added the crowning statues and obelisks.<ref name=Zorzi-136>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco...'']], p.&nbsp;136</ref><ref group="note">Only one statue had been placed during Sansovino's superintendence. See [[#Ivanoff-libreria|Ivanoff, 'La libreria marciana...']], p.&nbsp;8.</ref> Since the original plans by Sansovino do not survive, it is not known whether the architect intended for the library to reach the final length of twenty-one bays.<ref name=Zorzi-135/><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;202</ref> Scamozzi's negative comment on the junction of the library with the mint has led some architectural historians to argue that the result could not have been intentionally designed by Sansovino.<ref group="note">Scamozzi criticizes the truncating of cornices, bases, and capitals in reference to the junction of the facades of the library and the mint and considers such solutions "indecencies and follies" (''"indecentie e sciocchezze"''). See Vincenzo Scamozzi, ''L'idea della architettura universale di Vincenzo Scamozzi architetto veneto'' (Venetiis: Giorgio Valentini, 1615), Parte seconda, p.&nbsp;171.</ref> However archival research and technical and aesthetic assessments have not been conclusive.<ref group="note">The issue is summarized in Deborah Howard, 'The Length of the Library', ''Ateneo veneto'', Anno CXCVII, terza serie, 9/11 (2010), pp.&nbsp;23–29, {{ISSN|0004-6558}}.</ref>

During Scamozzi's superintendence, the debate regarding the height of the building was reopened.<ref name=Zorzi-136/> When Sansovino was first commissioned on 14 July 1536, the project expressly called for a three-storey construction similar to the recently rebuilt [[Procuratie#Procuratie Vecchie|Procuratie Vecchie]] on the northern side of Saint Mark's Square. But by 6 March 1537, when the decision was made to locate the library within the new building, the plan was abandoned in favour of a single floor above the ground level.<ref group="note">There are no surviving records regarding the debate, and it is not known what factors were determinative. See, [[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], pp.&nbsp;15–16.</ref> Scamozzi, nonetheless, recommended adding a floor to the library. Engineers were called to assess the existing foundation to determine whether it could bear the additional weight.<ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;207</ref> The conclusions were equivocal, and it was ultimately decided in 1588 that the library would remain with only two floors.<ref group="note">Manuela Morresi suggests that in addition to engineering considerations, the decision to retain the height of the library stemmed from the ascendency of the ''giovani'' faction in the aftermath of the constitutional crisis of 1582 and its opposition to the aggressive building programme. See [[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;207.</ref>

===Architecture===
[[File:Biblioteca marciana detail of Ionic order.jpg|thumb|left|alt=photograph of façade|Detail of the façade, upper floor]]

====Upper floor====
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header =
 | image1 = Biblioteca Marciana-Ionic capital.jpg
 | alt1 = drawing of architectural detail
 | caption1 = The Ionic capital of the Marciana Library with the decorative motifs in the echinus (a) and in the collar (b)
 | image2 = Biblioteca Marciana-Ionic base comparison.jpg
 | alt2 = drawing of architectural detail
 | caption2 = The Ionic base as described by Vitruvius (left) and as observed at Frascati and adopted by Sansovino for the Marciana Library (right)
}}
The upper storey is characterized by a series of [[Venetian window|Serlian]]s, so-called because the architectural element was illustrated and described by [[Sebastiano Serlio]] in his ''Tutte l'opere d'architettura et prospetiva'', a seven-volume treatise for Renaissance architects and scholarly patrons.<ref>[[#Curl-Dictionary|Curl, ''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture...'']], p.&nbsp;552</ref><ref>[[#Serlio-Regole|Serlio, ''Regole generali di architectura...'']], fols&nbsp;33v–36r</ref> Later popularized by the architect [[Andrea Palladio]], the element is also known as the Palladian window.<ref>[[#Tavernor-Palladio|Tavernor, ''Palladio and Palladianism'']], p.&nbsp;29</ref> It is inspired by ancient [[Triumphal arch#Roman triumphal arches|triumphal arch]]es such as the [[Arch of Constantine]] and consists in a high-arched opening that is flanked by two shorter [[sidelight]]s topped with [[lintel]]s and supported by [[column]]s.<ref>[[#Summerson-Language|Summerson, ''The Classical Language of Architecture'']], p.&nbsp;134</ref> From his days in Florence, Sansovino was likely familiar with the Serlian, having observed it in the tabernacle of the Merchants' guild by [[Donatello]] and [[Michelozzo]] ({{circa|1423|lk=yes}}) on the façade of the Church of [[Orsanmichele]]. He would have undoubtedly seen [[Donato Bramante]]'s tripartite window in the Sala Regia of the Vatican during his Roman sojourn and may have been aware of the sixteenth-century [[nymphaeum]] at Genazzano near Rome, attributed to Bramante, where the Serlian is placed in a series.<ref name=Lotz-10>[[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], p.&nbsp;10</ref><ref group="note">The Serlian is placed in a series by [[Giulio Romano]] for the riverfront façade of [[Villa Lante al Gianicolo|Villa Turini-Lante]]. See [[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;193</ref> At the Marciana, Sansovino adopted the contracted Serlian of the Orsanmichele prototype, which has narrow sidelights, but these are separated from the tall opening by double columns, placed one behind the other.<ref name=Hartt-633/> This solution of the narrow sidelights ensured greater strength to the structural walls, which was necessary to balance the thrust of the [[barrel vault]] originally planned for the upper storey.<ref name=Lotz-10/><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;200</ref>

Layered over the series of Serlians is a row of large [[Ionic order|Ionic columns]]. The [[Capital (architecture)|capital]]s with the [[egg-and-dart]] motif in the [[Ovolo|echinus]] and [[flame palmette]]s and masks in the collar may have been directly inspired by the [[Temple of Saturn]] in Rome and perhaps by the [[Villa di Poggio a Caiano|Villa Medicea at Poggio a Caiano]] by [[Giuliano da Sangallo]].<ref name="Morresi, pp. 193">[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], pp.&nbsp;193–194</ref> For the bases, as a sign of his architectural erudition, Sansovino adopted the Ionic base as it had been directly observed and noted by [[Antonio da Sangallo the Younger]] and [[Baldassare Peruzzi]] in [[Tusculum|ancient ruins at Frascati]].<ref name="Morresi, pp. 193"/><ref group="note">This Ionic base, utilized once by Palladio for [[Palazzo Porto, Vicenza|Palazzo Porto]] in Vicenza, is believed to have been part of the Villa of Lucullus at Frascati. See Maria Barbara Guerrieri Borsoi, ''Villa Rufina Falconieri: la rinascita di Frascati e la più antica dimora tuscolana'' (Roma: Gangemi, 2008), p.&nbsp;13, {{ISBN|8849214065}}. For a discussion and comparison with the Attic and Vitruvian bases for the Ionic order, see Howard Burns, '"Ornamenti" and ornamentation in Palladio's architectural theory and practice', ''Pegasus: Berliner Beiträge zum Nachleben der Antike'', 11 (2009), pp.&nbsp;49–50, {{ISSN|1436-3461}}.</ref> The idea of an ornate [[frieze]] above the columns with [[festoon]]s alternating with window openings had already been used by Sansovino for the courtyard of Palazzo Gaddi in Rome (1519–1527). But the insertion of windows into a frieze had been pioneered even earlier by Bramante at [[Palazzo Caprini]] in Rome (1501–1510, demolished 1938) and employed in Peruzzi's early sixteenth-century [[Villa Farnesina]].<ref>[[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], pp.&nbsp;11–12</ref> In the library, the specific pattern of the festoons with ''[[Putto|putti]]'' appears to be based on an early second-century sarcophagus fragment belonging to Cardinal [[Domenico Grimani]]'s collection of [[antiquities]].<ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;194</ref><ref group="note">The fragment showing the rape of Proserpina is in the [[Venice National Archaeological Museum|''Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Venezia'']], inv. 167. See also Antonio Foscari, 'Festoni e putti nella decorazione della Libreria di San Marco', ''Arte veneta'', XXXVIII (1984), pp.&nbsp;23–30.</ref>

[[File:Biblioteca Marciana a Venezia dettaglio facciata sud.jpg|thumb|left|alt=photograph of façade|Detail of the façade, ground floor]]

====Ground floor====
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header =
 | image1 = Marciana corner pier-1.tif
 | alt1 = drawing of architectural detail
 | caption1 = Theoretical corner of the Marciana Library with a final column, showing the insufficient space for a half metope
 | image2 = Marciana corner pier-2.tif
 | alt2 = drawing of architectural detail
 | caption2 = Sansovino's solution for the corner with a final pilaster placed on a wider pier (shaded)
}}
The ground floor is modelled on the [[Theatre of Marcellus]] and the [[Colosseum]] in Rome.<ref name=Hartt-633/><ref>[[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], p.&nbsp;8</ref><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;193</ref> It consists in a succession of [[Doric order|Doric columns]] supporting an [[entablature]] and is layered over a series of arches resting on pillars. The combination of columns layered over an [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade]] had been proposed by Bramante for the Palazzo di Giustizia (unexecuted), and was employed by Antonio da Sangallo the younger for the courtyard of [[Palazzo Farnese]] (begun 1517).<ref>[[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], pp.&nbsp;8–9</ref><ref group="note">The motif was earlier proposed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger for Palazzo Farnese and may have been intended for the Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini in Rome. See, [[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], pp.&nbsp;8–9.</ref> In adopting the solution for the Marciana Library, Sansovino was faithfully adhering to the recommendation of [[Leon Battista Alberti]] that in larger structures the column, inherited from Greek architecture, should only support an entablature, whereas the arch, inherited from Roman mural construction, should be supported on square pillars so that the resulting arcade appears to be the residual of "a wall open and discontinued in several places".<ref>Alberti, Leon Battista, ''De Re Aedificatoria'', VII, 15</ref><ref>[[#Wittkower-principles|Wittkower, ''Architectural principles in the age of humanism'']], II. 1</ref>

According to the architect's son, [[Francesco Sansovino|Francesco]], Sansovino's design for the corner of the Doric frieze was much discussed and admired for its faithful adherence to the principles of [[Ancient Roman architecture]] as outlined by [[Vitruvius]] in ''[[De architectura]]''. These principles required that a [[triglyph]] be centred over the last column and then followed by half a [[metope]], but the space was insufficient.<ref>Vitruvius, ''De architectura'', IV, 3</ref> With no surviving classical examples to guide them, Bramante, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, [[Raphael]], and other great Renaissance architects had struggled with the dilemma, implementing various ideas, none of which satisfied the Vitruvian dictum.<ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], pp.&nbsp;451–453</ref><ref group="note">Bramante's solution for the choir of Saint Peter's consisted in placing a metope, and not a triglyph, over the [[lesene]]s. This solution, highly criticized by {{ill|Guillaume Philandrier|fr|Guillaume Philandrier}} in his treatise ''In decem libros M. Vitruvii'' (Lyons: Jean de Tournes, 1552), was adopted by Antonio da Sangallo for [[Palazzo Baldassini]] and by Raphael for [[Palazzo Jacopo da Brescia]]. Giuliano da Sangallo's rendition of the [[Basilica Aemilia]] shows the triglyph off-centered with respect to the pilaster. The same architect proposed two solutions for the design of San Lorenzo in Florence: an angular triglyph or an axial triglyph followed by a reduced metope. See [[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], pp.&nbsp;451–453 (note 139 for bibliographical references).</ref> Sansovino's solution was to lengthen the end of the frieze by placing a final [[pilaster]] on a wider [[Pier (architecture)|pier]], thus creating the space necessary for a perfect half metope.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], pp.&nbsp;20–21</ref><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], pp.&nbsp;451–452</ref><ref group="note">Lotz suggests that the inspiration may have been the corner pier in Santa Maria presso San Biaggio in Montepulciano which lacks, however, the corner metope. See [[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], p.&nbsp;9.</ref> Francesco Sansovino relates that his father additionally sensationalized the design by challenging the leading architects in Italy to resolve the problem and then triumphantly revealing his own solution.<ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], p.&nbsp;20</ref><ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;195</ref><ref>[[#Sansovino-Venetia|Sansovino, ''Venetia città nobilissima...'']], fol.&nbsp;113r</ref>

[[File:Statues of the balustrade Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana n01.jpg|thumb|left|alt=photograph of statue|[[Girolamo Campagna]] (attributed), statue of Apollo (Orpheus?)]]

====Carvings====
Rather than a two-dimensional wall, the façade is conceived as an assemblage of three-dimensional structural elements, including piers, arcades, columns, and entablatures layered atop one another to create a sense of depth,<ref name=Hartt-633/><ref>[[#Lotz-Legacy|Lotz, 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings']], pp.&nbsp;10–11</ref> which is increased by the extensive surface carvings. These are the work of Sansovino's collaborators, including [[Danese Cattaneo]], Pietro da Salò, [[Bartolomeo Ammannati]], and [[Alessandro Vittoria]].<ref>[[#Sansovino-Venetia|Sansovino, ''Venetia città nobilissima et singolare''...]], fols&nbsp;113v–114r</ref><ref name="Zorzi-Libreria-140"/> Male figures in [[Relief#High relief|high relief]] are located in the [[spandrel]]s on the ground floor. With the exception of the arch in correspondence to the entry of the library which has [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] holding a trident and [[Aeolus (Odyssey)|Aeolus]] with a wind-filled sail, these figures represent [[Allegorical sculpture|allegories]] of non-specific rivers, characterized by the cornucopias and the urns with water flowing out. The enlarged [[Keystone (architecture)|keystone]]s of the arches on the ground floor alternate between lions’ heads and the heads of pagan divinities ([[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]]?, [[Pan (god)|Pan]], [[Apollo]], [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]], [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]], [[Minerva]], [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]], [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]], [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]]?, [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]], and [[Phanes]]).<ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], pp.&nbsp;210–211</ref><ref>[[#Sperti-Temi|Sperti, 'Temi ovidiani...']], pp.&nbsp;159, 161, 163, 168–169, 171</ref> In [[Relief#Low relief or bas-relief|low relief]], the [[Soffit|underarches]] have either mythological scenes, mostly related to the divinity in the keystone, or [[grotesque]]s. The spandrels on the upper floor have allegorical female figures with wings. These are in [[Relief#Mid-relief|mid relief]], thus creating the illusion that they are further from the viewer.<ref>[[#Ivanoff-libreria|Ivanoff, 'La libreria marciana...']], p.&nbsp;4</ref> The upright structural axes, consisting of the succession of columns and pedestals, become progressively lighter. This all serves to emphasize the verticality and counterbalance the long, horizontal succession of arcades.<ref name=Hartt-633/><ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], p.&nbsp;28</ref>

The [[balustrade]] above is surmounted by statues of pagan divinities and immortalized heroes of Antiquity. Built by Scamozzi between 1588 and 1591 following Sansovino's design, this solution for the roofline may have been influenced by [[Michelangelo]]'s designs for the [[Capitoline Hill#Michelangelo|Capitoline Hill]] in Rome and may have later inspired Scamozzi's own work at the [[Teatro Olimpico]] in [[Vicenza]].<ref name=Zorzi-Libreria-140>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;140</ref><ref group="note">Deborah Howard suggests that the idea for the balustrade may have been derived from Raphael's design for [[Palazzo Branconio dell'Aquila]]. See [[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino''...]], p.&nbsp;27.</ref> Among the sculptors were Agostino and Vigilio Rubini, [[Camillo Mariani]], [[Tiziano Aspetti]], and [[Girolamo Campagna]].<ref name=Zorzi-Libreria-140/> Over time, however, several of the original statues were eroded or otherwise damaged and ultimately replaced with statues that are not always consistent with the original subjects.<ref>[[#Ivanoff-coronamento|Ivanoff, Nicola, 'Il coronamento statuario della Marciana']], pp.&nbsp;105–106</ref>

[[File:Piazzetta San Marco Venice BLS.jpg|thumb|right|upright=2.1|alt= photograph of Doge's Palace and Marciana Library|The Doge's Palace (left) and the Marciana Library (right)]]
The effect of the library, overall, is that the entire façade has been encrusted with archaeological artefacts. Statues and carvings abound, and there are no large areas of plain wall. In addition to the abundance of classical decorative elements – obelisks, keystone heads, spandrel figures, and reliefs – the Doric and Ionic orders, each with the appropriate frieze, cornice, and base, follow ancient Roman prototypes, giving the building a sense of authenticity.<ref>[[#Howard-History|Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'']], p.&nbsp;151</ref> The proportions, however, do not always respect Vitruvian canons.<ref name=Howard-27>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], p.&nbsp;27</ref> Scamozzi, a rigid classicist, was critical of the arches on the ground floor, considered to be dwarfed and ill-proportioned, and the excessive height of the Ionic entablature with respect to the columns.<ref group="note">Scamozzi considered appropriate a ratio between the height of the entablature and the column of 1 to 4 for the Doric order and 1 to 5 of the Ionic order, whereas the ratios in the library are 1 to 3 and 1 to 2 respectively. See Vincenzo Scamozzi, ''L’Idea dell’Architettura Universale'' (Venetiis: ''expensis auctoris'', 1615), Lib. VI, Cap. VII, pp.&nbsp;20–21.</ref> Nevertheless, the classical references were sufficient to satisfy the Venetians’ desire to emulate the great civilizations of Antiquity and to present their own city as the successor of the Roman Republic.<ref name=Howard-27/> At the same time, the design respects many local building traditions and harmonizes with the [[Venetian Gothic architecture|gothic]] Doge's Palace through the common use of [[Istrian stone|Istrian limestone]], the two-storey arcades, the balustrades, and the elaborate rooflines.<ref name=Hartt-633/><ref>[[#Howard-History|Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'']], pp.&nbsp;150–152</ref><ref>[[#Howard-Sansovino|Howard, ''Jacopo Sansovino...'']], pp.&nbsp;26–28</ref><ref>[[#Lotz-Libreria|Lotz, 'La Libreria di S. Marco...']], p.&nbsp;187</ref>

===Interior===
The library historically occupied the upper floor, while the ground floor was let to shops, and later cafes, as sources of revenue to the procurators. The gilded interior rooms are decorated with oil paintings by the masters of Venice's [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] period, including [[Titian]], [[Tintoretto]], [[Paolo Veronese]], and [[Andrea Schiavone]]. Some of these paintings show mythological scenes derived from the writings of classical authors: Ovid's ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' and ''[[Fasti (poem)|Fasti]]'', Apuleius's ''[[The Golden Ass]]'', Nonnus's ''[[Dionysiaca]]'', Martianus Capella's [[Martianus Capella#De nuptiis|''The Marriage of Philology and Mercury'']], and the ''[[Suda]]''. In many instances, these stories of the pagan divinities are employed in a metaphorical sense on the basis of the early Christian writings of [[Arnobius]] and [[Eusebius]]. Other paintings show allegorical figures and include Renaissance hieroglyphics, consisting in symbols of plants, animals, and objects with specific, but enigmatic, meanings. They reflect the particular interest in the esotericism of the [[Hermeticism|Hermetic writings]] and the [[Chaldean Oracles]] that enthused many humanists following the publication in 1505 of [[Horapollo]]'s Ἱερογλυφικά ({{lang|la|Hieroglyphica}}), the book discovered in 1419 by [[Cristoforo Buondelmonti]] and believed to be the key for deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.<ref>[[#Broderick-Custodian|Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom...']], pp.&nbsp;20–21</ref>

The iconographic sources vary and include [[Pierio Valeriano Bolzani|Pierio Valeriano's]] dictionary of symbols, {{lang|la|Hieroglyphica}} (1556); popular emblem books such as [[Andrea Alciati]]'s {{lang|la|Emblematum Liber}} (1531) and [[Achille Bocchi]]'s {{lang|la|Symbolicarum quaestionum de universo genere}} (1555); the divination game {{lang|it|Le ingeniose sorti}} (1540) by {{ill|Francesco Marcolini da Forlì|it|Francesco Marcolini da Forlì}}; as well as [[Vincenzo Cartari]]'s mythographic manual for painters {{lang|it|Imagini colla sposizione degli dei degli antichi}} (1556).<ref>[[#Broderick-Custodian|Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom...']], p.&nbsp;21</ref> The "[[Mantegna Tarocchi]]" were used as iconographic sources for the depictions of the [[Liberal arts education#History|liberal arts]] and the [[muses]] in the staircase.<ref>[[#Broderick-Ascent|Broderick, 'Ascent to Wisdom...']], pp.&nbsp;98–103, 108 (note 210), 155</ref><ref>[[#Ivanoff-libreria|Ivanoff, 'La libreria marciana...']], pp.&nbsp;30, 32</ref>

Although several images have a specific pedagogical function aimed at forming temperate and stalwart rulers and inculcating qualities of dedication to duty and moral excellence in the noble youth who studied in the library,<ref>[[#Broderick-Custodian|Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom...']], pp.&nbsp;28–52</ref> the overall decorative programme reflects the Venetian aristocracy's interest in philosophy as an intellectual pursuit and, in a broader sense, the growing interest in [[Renaissance Neoplatonism|Platonic philosophy]] as one of the central currents in Renaissance thought. It is conceptually organized on the basis of the [[Henosis#Plotinus|Neoplatonic ascent of the soul]] and affirms that the quest for knowledge is directed towards the attainment of [[Sophia (wisdom)|divine wisdom]].<ref name="Zorzi-Libreria-140"/> The staircase largely represents the life of the embodied [[Plato's theory of soul|soul]] in the early stages of the ascent: the practice of the [[cardinal virtues]], the study and contemplation of the sensible world in both its multiplicity and harmony, the transcendence of mere opinions (''[[doxa]]'') through [[Dialectic#Plato|dialectic]], and [[Catharsis#Platonism|catharsis]]. The reading room corresponds to the soul's subsequent journey within the intellectual realm and shows the culmination of the ascent with the awakening of the higher, intellective soul, [[Ecstasy (philosophy)|ecstatic union]], and [[Divine illumination|illumination]].<ref>[[#Broderick-Custodian|Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom...']], pp.&nbsp;21–28, 52–59</ref> The programme culminates with the representation of the [[Plato's political philosophy|ideal Platonic State]] founded upon a transcendent understanding of a higher reality. By association, it is implied that the Republic of Venice is the very paradigm of wisdom, order, and harmony.<ref>[[#Broderick-Custodian|Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom...']], pp.&nbsp;84–92</ref>

[[File:SCALA 3.jpg|thumb|left|alt=refer to caption|Staircase with the Dome of Poetics and the second flight (stuccoes by [[Alessandro Vittoria]])]]

====Staircase====
The staircase consists of four domes (the Dome of [[Virtue ethics|Ethics]], the Dome of [[Rhetoric]], the Dome of Dialectic, and the Dome of [[Poiesis|Poetics]]) and two flights, the vaults of which are each decorated with twenty-one images of alternating quadrilinear [[stucco]]es by [[Alessandro Vittoria]] and octagonal [[fresco]]es by [[Battista Franco]] (first flight) and [[Battista del Moro]] (second flight).<ref>[[#Broderick-Ascent|Broderick, 'Ascent to Wisdom...']], pp.&nbsp;19–20</ref><ref>[[#Sansovino-Venetia|Sansovino, ''Venetia città nobilissima et singolare''...]], fol.&nbsp;114r</ref><ref name="Zorzi, p. 141">[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;141</ref> At the entry and on the landings, Sansovino repeated the Serlian element from the façade, making use of ancient columns taken from the dilapidated sixth-century Byzantine Church of [[Santa Maria del Canneto (Pula, Croatia)|Santa Maria del Canneto]] in [[Pula|Pola]] on the [[Istria|Istrian peninsula]].<ref>[[#Morresi-Sansovino|Morresi, ''Jacopo Sansovino'']], p.&nbsp;201</ref><ref name="Zorzi, p. 157">[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;157</ref>

====Vestibule====
The vestibule was conceived as a lecture hall for the public school of Saint Mark. Founded in 1446 to train civil servants for the Ducal Chancery, the school initially focused on grammar and rhetoric. With the addition of a second lectureship for poetry, oratory, and history in 1460, it evolved into a [[Renaissance humanism|humanistic]] school, principally for the sons of the nobles and citizens. Among the Italian humanists who taught there were [[George of Trebizond]], [[Giorgio Valla]], [[Marcantonio Sabellico]], [[Raphael Regius]], [[Battista Egnazio]], and [[Marcus Musurus|Marco Musuro]].<ref>[[#Grendler-Schooling|Grendler, ''Schooling in Renaissance Italy...'']], pp.&nbsp;61–63</ref><ref>[[#Ross-Schools|Ross, 'Venetian Schools and Teachers...']], pp.&nbsp;533–534</ref> The vestibule additionally hosted the meetings of the [[Accademia Veneziana]] from 1560 until the academy's dissolution for bankruptcy the following year.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], 162–163</ref>

[[File:(Venice) Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - Interior - Wisdom by Titien.jpg|thumb|alt= painting of allegorical female figure seated on cloud|[[Titian]], ''"Wisdom"'' ({{circa|1560|lk=yes}})]]
The room was originally lined with wooden benches, interrupted by a lectern that was located under the central window of the western wall.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;162</ref> Beginning in 1591, it was transformed into the public Statuary Hall by [[Vincenzo Scamozzi]] in order to display the collection of ancient sculpture that [[Giovanni Grimani]] had donated to the Venetian Republic in 1587.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;165–166</ref> Of the original decoration, only the ceiling remains with the [[Illusionistic ceiling painting|illusionistic three-dimensional decoration]] by [[Cristoforo Rosa|Cristoforo and Stefano De Rosa]] of Brescia (1559).<ref name=Schultz-95>[[#Schultz-Ceilings|Schultz, ''Venetian Painted Ceilings''...]], p.&nbsp;95</ref> Titian's octagonal painting in the centre has most often been identified as a [[personification]] of Wisdom or History.<ref>[[#Ivanoff-libreria|Ivanoff, 'La libreria Marciana'...]], p.&nbsp;33</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;116</ref><ref>[[#Hirthe-Libreria|Hirthe, 'Die Libreria des Iacopo Sansovino...']], pp.&nbsp;161–164.</ref><ref>[[#Ridolfi-maraviglie|Ridolfi, ''Le maraviglie dell'arte...'']], I, p.&nbsp;182</ref> Other suggestions include Poetry, Philosophy, Rhetoric, and Love of Letters.<ref>[[#Schultz-Ceilings|Schultz, ''Venetian Painted Ceilings''...]], pp.&nbsp;95–96</ref>

[[File:Jacopo tintoretto-diogene-cropped.jpg|thumb|left|alt= painting of philosopher in trompe-l'œil niche|[[Tintoretto]], ''Diogenes'']]

====Reading Room====
The adjacent reading room originally had 38 desks in the centre, arranged in two rows, to which the valuable codices were [[Chained library|chained]] according to subject matter.<ref group="note">The Latin section, slightly smaller, occupied desks 1 to 16 and included rhetoric, secular history, medicine, canon and civil law, logic, moral philosophy, the works of Aristotle and his commentators, natural sciences, mathematics, astronomy, Peter Lombard's ''[[The Four Books of Sentences]]'' and relative commentaries, theology, the works of Thomas Aquinas and Augustine, and Biblical texts with commentaries. The Greek section originally occupied desks 17 to 38 and included grammar, poetry, secular history, rhetoric, medicine, civil law, the works of Aristotle and his commentators, the writings of Plato and the Platonists, mathematics and astronomy, hagiography, theology, canon law, and Biblical texts with commentaries. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;159–161 and [[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;95–96.</ref> Between the windows were imaginary portraits of great men of Antiquity, the 'philosophers', each originally accompanied by an identifying inscription.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;152</ref> Similar portraits were located in the vestibule. Over time, however, these paintings were moved to various locations within the library and eventually, in 1763, to the Doge's Palace in order to create the wall space necessary for more bookshelves.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;153–156</ref> As a result, some were lost along with all of the identifying inscriptions. The ten that survive were returned to the library in the early nineteenth century and integrated with other paintings in 1929.<ref name="Zorzi, p. 157"/> Of the 'philosophers', only [[Diogenes]] by Tintoretto has been credibly identified.<ref>[[#Ridolfi-maraviglie|Ridolfi, ''Le maraviglie dell'arte...'']], II, p.&nbsp;26.</ref><ref group="note">In 1967, Nicola Ivanoff identified [[Aristotle]] and [[Plato]] in the 'philosophers' by Veronese and, tentatively, [[Ptolemy]] and [[Democritus]] in the 'philosophers' by Andrea Schiavone (one of which is alternatively attributed to Giuseppe Salviati). However, these identifications are purely speculative and without significant supporting arguments. Ivanoff identifies Aristotle solely on the basis of the oriental headdress, which is said to be a reference to his Arab translators. He also sees a possible correlation in the hand gesture between Veronese's 'philosopher' and the figure of Aristotle in Raphael's ''[[School of Athens]]''. For Plato, he references [[Marsilio Ficino]]'s imaginary description of the philosopher as being older and bearded with broad shoulders, a high brow, and an inspired look and then writes that most of these features are present in Veronese's 'philosopher'. See [[#Ivanoff-libreria|Ivanoff, 'La libreria Marciana'...]], pp.&nbsp;43.</ref>

[[File:Battista franco, diana e atteone.jpg|thumb|alt= circular painting in set in gilded ceiling|[[Battista Franco]], ''Actaeon and Diana'' and grotesques]]
The ceiling of the reading room is decorated with 21 roundels, circular oil paintings, by [[Giovanni de Mio]], [[Giuseppe Salviati]], Battista Franco, [[Giulio Licinio]], [[Bernardo Strozzi]], [[Giambattista Zelotti]], [[Alessandro Varotari]], Paolo Veronese, and Andrea Schiavone. They are inserted into a gilded and painted wooden framework along with 52 grotesques by Battista Franco.<ref>[[#Schultz-Ceilings|Schutlz, ''Venetian Painted Ceilings''...]], pp.&nbsp;93–94</ref> The roundels by Bernardo Strozzi and Alessandro Varotari are replacements from 1635 of earlier roundels, respectively by Giulio Licinio and Giambattista Zelotti, which were irreparably damaged by water infiltrations.<ref>[[#Schultz-Ceilings|Schultz, ''Venetian Painted Ceilings''...]], p.&nbsp;94</ref> The original roundels were commissioned in 1556.<ref group="note">The contracts stipulated with Giuseppe Salviati, Battista Franco, and Giulio Licinio survive and specify a payment of 20 ducats per painting. Although the canvas would be provided by the procurators, the artists themselves were to provide their own pigments with the exception of blue ultramarine which would be paid for separately. The contract relative to Salviati is published in [[#Pittoni-libreria|Pittoni, ''La libreria di san Marco'']], pp.&nbsp;111–112.</ref>

Although the original seven artists were formally chosen by Sansovino and Titian,<ref name="Zorzi, p. 141"/> their selection for an official and prestigious commission such as the library was indicative of the ascendancy of the Grimani and of those other families within the aristocracy who maintained close ties with the papal court and whose artistic preferences consequently tended towards Mannerism as it was developing in [[Tuscany]], [[Emilia (region of Italy)|Emilia]], and Rome.<ref>[[#Humfrey-Painting|Humfrey, ''Painting in Renaissance Venice'']], p.&nbsp;188</ref><ref>[[#Ruggeri-decorazione|Ruggeri, 'La decorazione pittorica della libreria Marciana']], p.&nbsp;313</ref> The artists were mostly young and innovative. They were primarily foreign-trained and substantially outside the Venetian tradition in their artistic styles, having been influenced by the trends in [[Florence]], Rome, [[Mantua]], and [[Parma]], particularly by the work of Michelangelo, [[Giulio Romano]], and [[Parmigianino]]. To varying degrees, the roundels that they produced for the ceiling of the reading room are consequently characterized by the emphasis on line drawing, the greater sculptural rigidity and artificial poses of the figures, and the overall dramatic compositions. They nevertheless show the influence of the Venetian painting tradition in both the colouring and brushwork.<ref>[[#Humfrey-Painting|Humfrey, ''Painting in Renaissance Venice'']], pp.&nbsp;194–198</ref><ref>[[#Paolucci-sala|Paolucci, 'La sala della libreria e il ciclo pittorico']], pp.&nbsp;290–291</ref>

For the single roundels, various and conflicting titles have been proposed over time.<ref group="note">For the principal studies and proposed titles, see Giorgio Vasari, ''Le vite de' piu eccellenti pittori scultori e architettori'', vol. III, parte 2 (Fiorenza: I Giunti, 1568), p.&nbsp;526; Francesco Sansovino, ''Venetia città nobilissima et singolare descritta in 14 libri'' (Venetia: Iacomo Sansovino, 1581), fols&nbsp;114r–114v; Carlo Ridolfi, ''Le maraviglie dell'arte, overo Le vite de gl'illustri pittori veneti, e dello Stato'' (Venetia: Gio. Battista Sgava, 1648), pp.&nbsp;parte I, 222, 230–231, 291–292, 352; Marco Boschini, ''Le minere della pittura'' (Venezia: Francesco Nicolini, 1664), pp.&nbsp;90–91; Francesco Macedo, ''Pictura Venetae vrbis, eiusque partium in tabulis Latinis, coloribus oratorijs expressa, & pigmentis poeticis colorata'' (Venetiis: Cieras, 1670), pp.&nbsp;56–59; Domenico Martinelli, ''Il ritratto di Venezia'' (Venezia: Gio. Giacomo Hertz, 1684), pp.&nbsp;589–590 [''sic'']; Antonio Maria Zanetti, ''Della pittura veneziana e delle opere pubbliche de' veneziani maestri'' (Venezia: Giambatista Albrizzi, 1771), pp.&nbsp;182, 244, 248–250, 284, 369, 497–498, 509; Giulio Lorenzetti, ''Venezia e il suo estuario: guida storico-artistica'' (Venezia: Bestetti & Tuminelli, 1926), p.&nbsp;161; Nicola Ivanoff, 'La libreria Marciana: arte e iconologia', ''Saggi e Memorie'', 6 (1967), pp.&nbsp;33–78; Antonio Paolucci, 'La sala della libreria e il ciclo pittorico' in Rodolfo Pallucchini ed., ''Da Tiziano a El Greco. Per la storia del Manierismo a Venezia 1540–1590'' (Milano: Electa, 1981), pp.&nbsp;287–298; Charles Hope, 'The Ceiling Paintings in the Libreria Marciana' in Massimo Gemin, ed., ''Nuovi Studi su Paolo Veronese'' (Venezia: Arsenale Editrice, 1990), pp.&nbsp;290–298; Jarrod, M. Broderick, 'Custodian of Wisdom: The Marciana Reading Room and the Transcendent Knowledge of God', ''Studi veneziani'', LXXIII (2016), pp.&nbsp;15–94.</ref> The earliest titles that [[Giorgio Vasari]] suggested for the three roundels by Veronese contain conspicuous errors, and even the titles and visual descriptions given by Francesco Sansovino, son of the architect, for all 21 roundels are often imprecise or inaccurate.<ref>[[#Hope-Paintings|Hope, 'The Ceiling Paintings in the Libreria Marciana']], p.&nbsp;290</ref><ref>[[#Schultz-Ceilings|Schultz, ''Venetian Painted Ceilings...'']], pp.&nbsp;94–95</ref>
<br />
<br />
<div class="center">'''CEILING OF THE READING ROOM'''<br />
with Francesco Sansovino's titles/descriptions and the more recent proposals

'''KEY:''' '''(S)''' = Sansovino, 1581&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''(I)''' = Ivanoff, 1967&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''(P)''' = Paolucci, 1981&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''(H)''' = Hope, 1990&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''(B)''' = Broderick, 2016</div>
{| class="wikitable" align="center" style="margin:1em auto; width:90%;"
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-1.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''1 – Giovanni de Mio'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Nature before Jupiter, asking permission to bring forth all things, and Pallas advises Jupiter on the sequence'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Nature between Pallas and Jupiter'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Jupiter, Minerva, and Nature'' <br />'''(B)''' ''The Logos''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-2.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''2 – Giovanni de Mio'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Theology before the gods, to whom Ganymede presents ambrosia & nectar, demonstrating what Theology does for Faith, Hope, and Charity'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Theology'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Theological Virtues before the Divinity'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Theology and the Theological Virtues before Jupiter'' <br />'''(B)''' ''The One''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-3.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''3 – Giovanni de Mio'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Natural Philosophy, in the middle of the world, with the Elements, with herbs, with animals, and with humans around'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Nature and the Seasons'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Nature and the Seasons'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Nature and the Seasons''
|-
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-4.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''4 – Giuseppe Salviati'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Virtue, spurning Fortune, turns to Prudence, to Justice, to Fortitude, to Temperance, and to other companions'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Virtue, spurning Fortune, turns to Prudence, to Justice, to Fortitude, to Temperance, and to other companions'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Pallas between Fortune and Virtue'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Wisdom prefers Virtue to Fortune'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Minerva between Fortune and the Virtues''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-5.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''5 – Giuseppe Salviati'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Art with the physiognomy that shows ingenuity, acuity, & alacrity, with Mercury nearby and Pluto'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Eloquence'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Mercury and Pluto and the arts'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Art, Mercury, and Pluto'' <br />'''(B)''' ''The Marriage of Philology and Mercury''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-6.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''6 – Giuseppe Salviati'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Militia'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Militia'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Pallas and Hercules'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Militia and Masculine Virtue'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Minerva and Hercules''
|-
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-7.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''7 – Battista Franco'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Agriculture with Pomona, Ceres, and Vertumnus'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Agriculture'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Vertumnus, Ceres and Pomona '' <br />'''(H)''' ''Agriculture with Pomona, Ceres, and Vertumnus'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Attis and Cybele with Nana and Sangaritis''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-8.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''8 – Battista Franco'''</div>
'''(S)''' '' Hunting where are Diana & Actaeon, with dogs, nets, & other things necessary for that art'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Hunting'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Diana and Actaeon '' <br />'''(H)''' ''The Choice between Study and Worldly Pleasure '' <br />'''(B)''' ''Actaeon and Diana''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-9.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''9 – Battista Franco'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Celerity, Toil, and Practice & other things'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Physical Exercise'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Celerity between Toil and Exercise'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Industry and Exercise'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Prudent Reflection and Mutual Aid''
|-
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-10.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''10 – Giulio Licinio'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Vigil, fasting, patience & other things that followers of virtue seek'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Allegory of Time'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Allegory of Vigil and Sacrifice'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Vigil and Sacrifice'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Vigil and Exercise''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-11.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''11 – Giulio Licinio'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Glory, beatitude, & other ecstasies that are acquired by means of hard work aimed at obtaining virtue'' <br />'''(I)''' ''Beatitude & other ecstasies that are acquired by means of hard work aimed at obtaining virtue'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Glory and Beatitude'' <br />'''(H)''' ''Glory and Beatitude'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Ecstasy''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-12.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''12 – Bernardo Strozzi'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''The delight that comes from various disciplines, aptitude, and the good habits of study and virtue'' <br />(note: the description refers to the original roundel by Giulio Licinio)<br />'''(I)''' ''Sculpture'' <br />'''(P)''' ''Allegory of Sculpture'' <br />'''(B)''' ''Measure of Self''
|-
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-13.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''13 – Giambattista Zelotti'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Various elements that are necessary to learning''<br />'''(P)''' ''Allegory of Study that casts out Distraction''<br />'''(H)''' ''The Choice between Study and Sensual Indulgence''<br />'''(B)''' ''Diligence opposite Lust''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-14.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''14 – Giambattista Zelotti'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''The delight that comes from various disciplines, aptitude, and the good habits of study and virtue''<br />'''(I)''' ''Measure''<br />'''(P)''' ''Allegory of Modesty''<br />'''(H)''' ''Virtue and Knowledge?''<br />'''(B)''' ''The Soul before Divine Wisdom Enthroned''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:(Venice) Allegory of Astrology by Alessandro Varotari - Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.jpg|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''15 – Alessandro Varotari'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Mathematics with their instruments'' <br />(note: the title refers to the original roundel by Giambattista Zelotti) <br />'''(P)''' ''Atlas''<br />'''(B)''' ''Atlas Shouldering the World''
|-
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-16.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''16 – Paolo Veronese'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Honour, in the ancient manner, with people around who offer incense and make sacrifice''<br />'''(I)''' ''Honour with people around who offer incense and make sacrifice''<br />'''(P)''' ''Honour''<br />'''(H)''' ''Honour''<br />'''(B)''' ''Genius of the Venetian People''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-17.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''17 – Paolo Veronese'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Geometry & Arithmetic with their symbols''<br />'''(I)''' ''Geometry and Arithmetic''<br />'''(P)''' ''Arithmetic and Geometry''<br />'''(H)''' ''Astronomy, Music, and Deceit''<br />'''(B)''' ''Mathematical Sciences and Intellection''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-18.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''18 – Paolo Veronese'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Music with various instruments and bizarre inventions''<br />'''(I)''' ''Music''<br />'''(P)''' ''Music''<br />'''(H)''' ''Music''<br />'''(B)''' ''Harmony and Beauty''
|-
|- valign="top"
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-19.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''19 – Andrea Schiavone'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''Priesthood''<br />'''(I)''' ''Priesthood''<br />'''(P)''' ''Priesthood''<br />'''(B)''' ''The People''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-20.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''20 – Andrea Schiavone'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''The Dignity of Empires and Kingdoms''<br />'''(I)''' ''The Dignity of Empires and Kingdoms''<br />'''(P)''' ''The Dignity of Empires and Kingdoms''<br />'''(B)''' ''The Philosopher-Kings''
|style="font-size: 85%; width: 33%;"|<div class="center">[[File:Biblioteca Marciana-Sala sansoviniana-21.tif|200px|alt= circular painting with multiple figures]]<br />'''21 – Andrea Schiavone'''</div>
'''(S)''' ''The Triumph of Captains''<br />'''(I)''' ''The Triumph of Captains''<br />'''(P)''' ''The Triumph of Captains''<br />'''(B)''' ''The Warriors''
|- 
| colspan="3" | Note: The roundels by Andrea Schiavone are shown in their original positions. The inversion of roundels 19 and 20 occurred between 1819 and 1839, probably following structural work or restoration.<ref name=Schultz-95/>
|}

==Later history==
===Venetian administration===
Although the procurators retained responsibility for the library building, in 1544 the [[Council of Ten]] assigned the custodianship of the collection to the {{lang|it|italic=no|[[riformatori dello studio di Padova]]}}, the educational committee of the Senate.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Besssarion's Library''...]], p.&nbsp;82</ref> Created in 1517, the {{lang|it|italic=no|riformatori}} had initially been tasked with reopening the [[University of Padua]] after its closure during the years of the [[War of the League of Cambrai|War of Cambrai]].<ref group="note">Originating as a temporary committee, the {{lang|it|italic=no|riformatori}} were definitively established in 1528. See Andrea Da Mosto, ''L'Archivio di Stato di Venezia: indice generale, storico, descrittivo ed analitico'', vol. I, (Roma: Biblioteca d'arte, 1937), p.&nbsp;217</ref> This involved repairing physical damage to the buildings, hiring new professors, and organizing courses. Over time, their role came to encompass virtually all aspects of public education. Under the {{lang|it|italic=no|riformatori}}, the collection was first catalogued (1545). Preparations were made to move the manuscripts and books from the upper floor of Saint Mark's to the new building: the effective date of the transfer is not known from any surviving documents, but it must have occurred between 1559 and 1565, probably prior to July 1560.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;159</ref> For the loaning of the valuable codices, the Council of Ten established stricter conditions which included the requirement of a deposit in gold or silver in the amount of 25 [[Ducat#Gold ducat of Venice|ducat]]s.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;111–112</ref> The sum, already substantial, was increased to 50 ducats in 1558.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;173</ref>

[[File:Marciana-ex libris-1722.jpg|thumb|left|alt= eighteenth-century engraving of ex libris|The ''ex libris'' of the Marciana Library with the motto ''"custos vel ultor" (custodian or vindicator)'', engraved in 1722 and affixed to the collection during the tenure of Girolamo Venier as librarian (1709–1735)<ref name=Zorzi-248>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;248</ref>]]
Beginning in 1558, the {{lang|it|italic=no|riformatori}} nominated the librarian, a patrician chosen for life.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;119</ref> But in 1626, the Senate once again assumed direct responsibility for the nomination of the librarian, whose term was limited by the Great Council in 1775 to three years.<ref name=Zorzi-211>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;211</ref> With few exceptions, the librarians were typically chosen from among the procurators of Saint Mark.<ref name="Zorzi-211"/>

The reform of 1626 established the positions of custodian and attendant, both subordinate to the librarian, with the requirement that the custodian be fluent in Latin and Greek. The attendant was responsible for the general tidiness of the library and was chosen by the procurators, the riformatori, and the librarian.<ref name=Zorzi-211/> No indications were given regarding the nomination of the custodian, a lifetime appointment, until 1633 when it was prescribed that the election was to be the purview of the {{lang|it|italic=no|riformatori}} in concert with the librarian.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;212</ref> To the custodian fell the responsibility for opening and closing the library: opening days (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings) were also fixed whereas access had previously been by appointment only.<ref name=Zorzi-211/> The custodian assisted readers, including the international scholars attracted by the importance of the manuscripts. Among these were [[Willem Canter]], [[Henry Savile (Bible translator)|Henry Savile]], [[Jacques Gaffarel]], and [[Thomas van Erpe]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;189, 209</ref>

The custodian was additionally tasked with showing the library to foreigners who visited primarily to admire the structure and the manuscripts, commenting in their travel diaries on the magnificence of the building, the ancient statuary, the paintings, and on the codices themselves.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;188, 264</ref> Notably among these were the English travel-writer [[Thomas Coryat]], the French archaeologist [[Jacob Spon]], the French architect [[Robert de Cotte]], and the German art historian [[Johann Joachim Winckelmann]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;224, 264, 342</ref><ref group="note">Other noted visitors and travel writers included [[Fynes Moryson]], [[Charles de Brosses]], the Scottish historian [[Gilbert Burnet]], the French palaeographer [[Jean Mabillon]], [[Richard Lassels]], the English music historian [[Charles Burney]], [[Charles-Nicolas Cochin]], [[Pierre-Jean Grosley]], and the French astronomer [[Jérôme Lalande]]. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;188, 238, 264.</ref>

{{quote|Truly the beauty of this {{not a typo|Librarie}} is such both for the notable magnificence of the building, and the admirable variety of {{not a typo|bookes}} of all sciences and languages, that I {{not a typo|beleeve}} none of those notable Libraries in ancient times so celebrated by worthy historians, neither [[Library of Alexandria|that of the {{not a typo|royall}} ''Ptolomies'' of Alexandria]], burnt by {{not a typo|''Iulius Cæsar''}}, not [[Library of Pergamum|that of King ''Eumenes'' at Pergamum]] in Greece, nor [[Library of Palatine Apollo|''Augustus'' his Palatine in Rome]], nor [[Ulpian Library|''Traians'' Ulpian]], nor that of ''Serenus Sammonicus'', which he left to the Emperor ''Gordianus'' the {{not a typo|yonger}}, nor any other whatsoever in the whole world before the time of the invention of printing, could compare with this Palatine. Also I attribute so much unto it that I give it precedence above all the noble Libraries I saw in my travels.
|author=Thomas Coryat
|source=''Coryat's Crudities''<ref>[[#Coryat-Crudities|Coryat, ''Coryat's Crudities...'']], II, pp.&nbsp;341–342</ref>
}}

In 1680, the Senate accepted the recommendation of the librarian, the future Doge [[Silvestro Valier]] ({{reign|label=librarian|1679|1694}}, {{reign|label=doge|1694|1700}}), to better protect the codices by removing them from their chains and putting them inside cabinets. In place of the earlier benches, four large tables were set up for consultation. Further, it was decided to limit loaning, but the library was to now be open daily.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;232</ref>
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header =
 | image1 = Marciana-catalog-Greek-codices.jpg
 | alt1 = frontispiece and title page from eighteenth-century catalogue of Greek codices
 | caption1 =
 | image2 = Marciana-catalog-Latin-codices.jpg
 | alt2 = frontispiece and title page from eighteenth-century catalogue of Latin codices
 | caption2 = The catalogues of the library, compiled by Antonio Maria Zanetti and Antonio Bongiovanni and published in 1740 and 1741<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;264</ref>
}}
Developments in [[library science]] in the eighteenth century led to increased efforts to organize and protect the manuscripts. Under the influence of important royal libraries, notably in Paris and Vienna, the bindings of all manuscripts were standardized, and an identifying ''[[Bookplate|ex libris]]'' was added so as to underscore the unity and prestige of the overall collection and its ownership by the republic.<ref>[[#Marcon-segnature|Marcon, 'Le segnature dei manoscritti marciani']], pp.&nbsp;27–28</ref> Modern catalogues were compiled by the scholarly custodian [[Antonio Maria Zanetti (the younger)|Antonio Maria Zanetti]]. These catalogues, printed in 1740 and 1741, largely adhered to the bibliographical guidelines of [[Bernard de Montfaucon]] for the library of [[Henri-Charles du Cambout de Coislin|Henry-Charles de Coislin]], bishop of Metz, and identified the shelf mark of each manuscript along with an indication of its age and origin, a physical description, and a list of the texts it contained.<ref name=Marcon-28>[[#Marcon-segnature|Marcon, 'Le segnature dei manoscritti marciani']], p.&nbsp;28</ref>

===French and Austrian administrations===
After the [[fall of the Venetian Republic]] to the French in 1797, the position of librarian, as with all government offices, ceased to exist. The custodian [[Jacopo Morelli]] became by default librarian.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;349</ref> The name of the library was briefly changed to the {{lang|it|italic=no|Biblioteca nazionale}} under French occupation (May 1797 – January 1798) but reverted to {{lang|it|italic=no|Libreria pubblica di san Marco}} at the time of the first period of Austrian rule (1798–1805).<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;349, 354</ref> During the second period of French domination (1805–1814), it was designated the {{lang|it|italic=no|Regia Biblioteca di Venezia}} (Royal Library of Venice).<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;357</ref>

In 1811, the entire collection was moved to the former Hall of the Great Council in the Doge's Palace when the library, as a building, was transformed, together with the adjoining [[Procuratie#Procuratie_Nuove|Procuratie Nuove]], into an official residence for the [[viceroy]] of the [[Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;170, 363–364</ref> Referred to as the '{{lang|it|italic=no|Libreria vecchia}}' (Old Library), the building continued to be used in this capacity in the second period of [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia|Austrian rule]] (1814–1866), whereas the collection, still inside the Doge's Palace, became the {{lang|it|italic=no|Biblioteca Reale di S. Marco di Venezia}} (Saint Mark's Royal Library of Venice).<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;367</ref>

===Italian administration===
{{See also|Zecca of Venice#Later adaptations}}
In 1876, after the [[Third Italian War of Independence]] and the annexation of Venice to the [[Kingdom of Italy]], the Marciana was designated as a national library, a title that recognizes the library's historical importance but does not involve particular legal jurisdiction within the Italian library system.<ref name=Zorzi-2001-473>[[#Zorzi-Libraries|Zorzi, 'National Libraries of Italy']], p.&nbsp;473</ref><ref group="note">The royal decree designating the Marciana as a national library, Num. 3530 dated 12 November 1876, is published in the {{lang|it|Gazzetta Ufficiale}}, Num. 288, 12 December 1876.</ref> Several other libraries share this title, but only two, the libraries [[Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma|in Rome]] and [[National Central Library (Florence)|in Florence]], constitute the national central library with the requirement of [[legal deposit]] for all publications printed in Italy. The Marciana receives copies of the books that are printed by local publishers.<ref name=Zorzi-2001-473/><ref group="note">As per Law 106/2004 and the relative applicable decree DPR 252/2006, a publisher has legal deposit requirements on the basis of its legal seat, regardless of the printing location. See Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (official website), ''[https://marciana.venezia.sbn.it/la-biblioteca/chi-siamo/come-contattarci/ufficio-acquisizioni/deposito-legale Deposito legale]'' [accessed 2 July 2020]</ref>

The collection was moved from the Doge's Palace to the [[Zecca of Venice|Zecca]], the former mint, in 1904.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;398</ref> It is Italian national property, and the library is a state library that depends upon the General Direction for Libraries and Authors' Rights ({{lang|it|italic=no|Direzione Generale Biblioteche e Diritto d'Autore}}) of the [[Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (Italy)|Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism]] ({{lang|it|italic=no|Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e per il turismo}}).<ref group="note">The General Direction for Libraries and Authors' Rights was formerly the General Direction for Libraries and Cultural Institutions ({{lang|it|italic=no|Direzione Generale Biblioteche e Istituti Culturali}})</ref> The General Direction provides financial support and administrative assistance. The Central Institute for Archive and Book Pathology ({{lang|it|italic=no|Istituto Centrale per la Patologia degli Archivi e del Libro}}) specifically gives guidance with regard to the preservation and restoration of parchment and paper. The Marciana also participates in the [[National Library Service of Italy]] which seeks to standardize [[Cataloging|cataloguing]] among public, private, and university libraries through the [[Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico|Central Institute for the Union Catalogue of Italian Libraries and for Bibliographic Information]] ({{lang|it|italic=no|Istituto centrale per il catalogo unico delle biblioteche italiane e per le informazioni bibliografiche}}). This involves the creation of a single database for the collections held by the various institutions.<ref name=Zorzi-2001-473/>

Under Italy, the '{{lang|it|italic=no|Libreria vecchia}}' passed to the Italian Crown, which ceded ownership to the state in 1919.<ref name=Zorzi-404>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco'']], p.&nbsp;404</ref> The Marciana came into possession of the historical rooms of the library in 1924.<ref name=Zorzi-404/> These underwent extensive restoration and were reopened to the public in 1929 as a museum.<ref name=Zorzi-404/><ref group="note">The historical rooms are presently included on the [https://correr.visitmuve.it/en/pianifica-la-tua-visita/tickets/ Saint Mark's Square Museum Ticket]. [accessed 26 May 2020]</ref>

==Collection==
{{See also|Manuscripts in the Biblioteca Marciana}}

The Venetian government viewed the possession of the valuable codices as a source of civic pride and prestige for the republic. Little was done initially to facilitate public access to the library or to improve services to readers.<ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], p.&nbsp;35</ref> Inventories were sporadically conducted, but no acquisition policy was established for the continued incrementation of the collection.<ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], p.&nbsp;43</ref> Only two new manuscripts, both donations, entered into the library before the inventory of 1575.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;184</ref> Although an attempt was made in 1603 to increase the library's holdings by legally requiring that a copy of all books printed within the territory of the Venetian Republic be henceforth deposited in the Marciana, the law had little initial effect due to lack of enforcement.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;207</ref><ref group="note">Only an estimated 50 books were deposited in the 19 years following the passage of the law. See [[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], p.&nbsp;41 (note 42).</ref><ref group="note">The requirement (the first such requirement in Italy) was part of the law of 21 May 1603 that regulated the printers' guild. See also Horatio Brown, ''The Venetian Printing Press: an Historical Study'' (London: J. C. Nimmo, 1891), pp.&nbsp;218–221.</ref> Similarly disregarded was the Senate's decree in 1650, requiring that the procurators allocate funds annually for the acquisition of new books.<ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], p.&nbsp;42</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;220</ref> Nevertheless, a series of individual bequests began in 1589 and greatly expanded the collection over time. The requirement for printers to deposit copies of new books was also increasingly enforced, beginning in the early eighteenth century.<ref>[[#Raines-Museum|Raines, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library?...']], pp.&nbsp;42–43</ref> In addition, from 1724 onward, the Senate appropriated annual funding for the acquisition of newly printed foreign books so as to ensure that the collection remained up-to-date.<ref name=Zorzi-248/> Concurrently, the library began to sell books of marginal interest or little value, primarily books obligatorily deposited by printers, and then use the proceeds to purchase works of cultural importance in order to maintain the quality of the overall collection.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;267</ref>

===Bessarion's Library===

{{See also|Greek scholars in the Renaissance}}
[[File:Bessarion-arms.jpg|thumb|Coat of arms of Cardinal Bessarion]]
The private library of Cardinal Bessarion constitutes the historical nucleus of the Marciana. In addition to liturgical and theological texts for reference, Bessarion's library initially reflected his particular interests in ancient Greek history, [[Platonism|Platonic philosophy]], and science, especially astronomy. Some of these texts were brought by Bessarion when he arrived in Italy (1438) for the [[Council of Florence|Council of Ferrara-Florence]]; others were shipped at an unknown later date from the Venetian city of Modone ([[Methoni, Messenia|Methoni]]), near [[Mystras]] where Bessarion had studied under [[Gemistus Pletho]]. Among the early codices were works by [[Cyril of Alexandria]], [[Euclid]], [[Ptolemy]], and [[Strabo]], some of which were rare, if not unknown, in Western Europe.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Besssarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;6–7</ref> Elevated to the cardinalate in 1440, Bessarion enjoyed greater financial resources, and he added notable codices, including the precious tenth-century manuscripts of [[Alexander of Aphrodisias]]' works and of Ptolemy's ''[[Almagest]]'' that had once belonged to the library of [[Pope Boniface VIII]].<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Besssarion's Library''...]], p.&nbsp;8</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;45–46</ref>

[[File:VA024RN-0025.jpg|thumb|left|alt= page from tenth-century manuscript|"Venetus A", BNM ms Gr. Z. 454 (=822), fol. 24r. The manuscript, containing the oldest complete text of Homer's epic ''Iliad'', was purchased by Cardinal Bessarion, possibly from Giovanni Aurispa.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Biblioteca|Zorzi, ''Biblioteca Marciana'']], p.&nbsp;62</ref>]]
Around 1450, Bessarion began to place his [[Ecclesiastical heraldry|ecclesiastical coat of arms]] on his books and assign shelf marks, an indication that the collection was no longer limited to personal consultation but that he intended to create a lasting library for scholars.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Besssarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;19–20</ref><ref>[[#Marcon-segnature|Marcon, 'Le segnature dei manoscritti marciani']], p.&nbsp;13</ref> In 1454, following the fall of [[Constantinople]] to the Ottoman Turks (1453) and the ensuing devastation, he charged [[Michael Apostolius]] and Theophanes, bishop of Athens, with the task of locating and purchasing specific works throughout Greece, primarily in Adrianople, Athens, Thessaloniki, Aenos, Gallipoli, and Constantinople, with the objective of preserving the [[Ancient Greek literature|writings of the classical Greek authors]] and the [[Byzantine literature|literature of Byzantium]]. He also established a ''[[scriptorium]]'' on Crete, under the direction of Apostolius, where hired scribes copied the texts that could not be found for purchase.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Biblioteca|Zorzi, ''Biblioteca Marciana'']], p.&nbsp;18</ref> A similar ''scriptorium'' existed in his Roman residence where other texts were copied. Many of the originals were borrowed for this purpose from the monastery of [[Fonte Avellana|Santa Croce di Fonte Avellana]] (Marche) and from several [[Basilian monks|Basilian monasteries]] in southern Italy, of which Bessarion was nominated protector and [[apostolic visitor]] in 1446.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Cenni|Zorzi, 'Cenni sulla vita e sulla figura di Bessarione']], p.&nbsp;2</ref> These included his discoveries of the ''[[Posthomerica]]'' by [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]] and the ''Abduction of Helen'' by [[Coluthus]], which would have otherwise been lost as a result of the [[Ottoman invasion of Otranto]] and the destruction of the monastic library of {{ill|San Nicola di Casole|it|Monastero di San Nicola di Casole}} (Apulia) in 1480.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;9–12</ref> Copies of [[Augustine]]'s complete works were commissioned from the bookseller [[Vespasiano da Bisticci]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;59</ref>

Bessarion acquired several works from [[Giovanni Aurispa]] and later from his nephew and heir Nardo Palmieri. These works include the [[Anthology of Planudes|Anthologia Planudea]] containing 2400 Greek poems, the only autograph copy of the commentary on Homer's ''[[Odyssey]]'' by [[Eustathius of Thessalonica]], the orations of [[Demosthenes]], ''[[Cassius Dio#Roman History|Roman History]]'' by [[Cassius Dio]], the ''[[Bibliotheca (Photius)|Bibliotheca]]'' of [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]], and the only surviving copy of ''[[Deipnosophistae]]'' by [[Athenaeus]]. "[[Venetus A]]" and "Venetus B", the oldest texts of [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]'', with centuries of [[scholia]], may have also been acquired from Aurispa.<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], p.&nbsp;8–9</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-Biblioteca|Zorzi, ''Biblioteca Marciana'']], pp.&nbsp;18–19</ref>

Simultaneously, Bessarion assembled a parallel collection of Latin codices with a relative preponderance of works on [[Patristics|patrology]], philosophy (primarily the medieval Platonic and Aristotelian traditions), history, mathematics, and literature. Some of these were purchased during his residence in Bologna (1450–1455) or copied from originals in [[San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna|San Giovanni Evangelista]] (Ravenna), including the works by [[Quintilian]], [[Lactantius]], Augustine, and [[Jerome]]. Of particular interest to Bessarion were the Latin historiographers. Among these were [[Livy]] and [[Tacitus]]. The Latin codices also included translations of Greek works, commissioned by Bessarion. Other Latin codices were purchased during his legation to Germany (1460–1461), notably [[Exegesis|exegetical]] and [[Christian theology|theological]] works by [[Nicholas of Lyra]] and [[William of Auvergne]].<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;15–17</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;58.</ref>

Towards the end of his life, printed books became increasingly available, and Bessarion began to add ''incunabula'' to his library, primarily from the printing house of [[Arnold Pannartz and Konrad Sweynheim]] in Rome. These books included works by [[Cicero]], [[Plutarch]], [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], Quintilian, and [[Thomas Aquinas]] as well as the Latin translation of Bessarion's own work in defence of Plato, ''Adversus calumniatorem Platonis'' (1469).<ref>[[#Labowsky-Library|Labowsky, ''Bessarion's Library''...]], pp.&nbsp;17–18, 481–482</ref>

The Marciana Library now possesses 548 Greek codices, 337 Latin codices, and 27 ''incunabula'' that once belonged to Cardinal Bessarion.<ref>Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (official website), ''[https://marciana.venezia.sbn.it/la-biblioteca/il-patrimonio/patrimonio-librario/fondi/lascito-bessarioneo Lascito bessarioneo]'' [accessed 7 March 2020]</ref> Among these are codices with works of Middle Platonic and Neoplatonic authors, many of which constitute the most important, if not the sole, surviving source for their writings.<ref>[[#Rapp-Bessarion|Rapp, 'Bessarion of Nicaea']], pp.&nbsp;125–126</ref><ref>[[#Zorzi-Libraries|Zorzi, 'National Libraries of Italy']], p.&nbsp;479</ref>
{{clear left}}

===Additions===
[[File:Martianus Capella, Musica.jpg|thumb|alt= illumination of allegorical female figure from fifteenth-century manuscript|Allegory of Music in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' by Martianus Capella, BNM ms Lat. XIV, 35 (=4054), fol. 149v. The manuscript was made in Florence and later purchased for the Dominican library of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice.<ref>[[#Zorzi-Biblioteca|Zorzi, ''Biblioteca Marciana'']], p.&nbsp;166</ref> In 1789, it was requisitioned by order of the Council of Ten and transferred to the Marciana.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;299</ref>]]

Major additions include:
* 1589 – Melchiorre Guilandino of Marienburg: the bequest of the Prussian-born doctor and botanist, director of the [[Orto botanico di Padova|botanical gardens]] at the University of Padua and professor of botany and pharmacognosy, consisted of 2,200 printed books dealing with philosophy, medicine, mathematics, botany, theology, literature, poetry, and history.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;182–184</ref>
* 1595 – Jacopo Contarini da S. Samuele: the bequest of the Venetian patrician, delayed until the extinction of the male line of the [[Contarini]] in 1713, consisted of 175 Greek and Latin manuscripts and 1,500 printed books and included works on Venetian history, Law, poetry, naval and military matters, astronomy, physics, optics, architecture, and philosophy.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;184–187</ref>
* 1619 – [[Hieronymus Fabricius|Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente]]: the bequest of the surgeon and professor of anatomy at the University of Padua consisted of 13 volumes with hand-coloured anatomical illustrations.<ref name=Zorzi-208>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;208</ref>
* 1624 – Giacomo Gallicio: the donation consisted of 21 Greek codices, comprising over 90 works, dealing primarily with exegetics, philology, and philosophy.<ref name=Zorzi-208/>
* 1734 – Giambattista Recanati: the bequest of the Venetian noble poet and man of letters, member of both the Florentine Academy and the Royal Society of London, consisted of 216 Greek, Latin, Italian, French, [[Franco-Italian|Franco-Venetian]], and Illyric manuscripts, among which were several medieval illuminated manuscripts once belonging to the [[House of Gonzaga]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;250–252</ref>
* 1792 – Tommaso Giuseppe Farsetti: the bequest of the Venetian patrician consisted of 386 Latin and Italian manuscripts and over 1600 printed books, primarily literature.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;304–305</ref>
* 1794 – Amedeo Schweyer, called "Svajer": the purchase of the collection of the German-born antiquarian involved more than 340 manuscripts and included genealogies and Venetian and foreign documents, among which is the last will and testament of [[Marco Polo]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;306–309</ref>
* 1797 – Jacopo Nani: the bequest of the Venetian collector consisted of 716 Greek, Latin, Italian, French, Arabic, Egyptian, Persian, Syrian, and Turkish manuscripts covering history, travel, literature, politics, science, military matters, architecture, philosophy, and religion.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;309–311</ref>
* 1814 – Girolamo Ascanio Molin: the bequest of the Venetian nobleman, collector and author, included 2209 fine printed books and ''incunabula'', 3835 prints, 408 drawings, and 136 maps.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;394–396</ref>
* 1843 – Girolamo Contarini: the bequest of the Venetian nobleman consisted of some 4000 printed books and 956 manuscripts, including 170 musical codices.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;381, 383, 391</ref>
* 1852 – Giovanni Rossi: the bequest consisted of 470 manuscripts dealing primarily with Venetian history and a collection of Venetian operas.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;388–389</ref>

Three hundred and three precious manuscripts along with 88 rare printed books were transferred to the Marciana in 1789 from the religious libraries of [[Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice|Santi Giovanni e Paolo]], Sant'Andrea della Certosa, and S. Pietro Martire di Murano by order of the Council of Ten after an investigation into a theft revealed unsatisfactory security conditions.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;298–303</ref> Between 1792 and 1795, the Council of Ten also transferred to the Marciana works from its Secret Archives that were no longer considered politically sensitive. These included the scientific writings of [[Tycho Brahe]] and [[Cesare Cremonini (philosopher)|Cesare Cremonini]], originally presented to the [[Venetian Holy Inquisition|Inquisition]] for concerns over religious orthodoxy, as well as political documents of historical interest.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco...'']], p.&nbsp;298</ref>

After the fall of the Venetian Republic to Napoleon in 1797, 470 precious manuscripts, selected from public, religious, and private libraries throughout Venice, were turned over to the French as prizes of war. Of these, 203 were subtracted from the Marciana along with two musical scores.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;352</ref> Similarly, during the first period of Austrian occupation (1798–1805), six rare ''incunabula'' and 10 important manuscripts were removed.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;355</ref><ref group="note">As a consequence of the Austrian defeats in 1866 and 1918, most of the volumes were returned as [[war reparations]]. See [[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], p.&nbsp;355</ref> However, the Marciana obtained 4,407 volumes including 630 manuscripts when during the second period of French occupation (1805–1815), numerous convents and monasteries were [[suppression of monasteries#France|suppressed]] and their libraries dispersed.<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;361–363</ref> In 1811, the [[Fra Mauro map|map of Fra Mauro]] was transferred from the suppressed Camaldolese monastery of [[San Michele in Isola]].<ref>[[#Zorzi-libreria|Zorzi, ''La libreria di san Marco''...]], pp.&nbsp;359, 516 (note 49)</ref>

As of 2019, the collection consists of 13,117 manuscripts; 2,887 ''incunabula''; 24,060 ''cinquecentine''; and 1,000,000 (''circa'') post-sixteenth-century books.<ref>Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (official website), ''[https://marciana.venezia.sbn.it/la-biblioteca/il-patrimonio/patrimonio-librario Patrimonio librario]'' [accessed 21 September 2019]</ref> Overall, the Marciana remains specialized in the classics, the [[humanities]], and Venetian history.<ref>[[#Direzione-Biblioteche|''Le Biblioteche pubbliche statali...'']], p.&nbsp;77</ref>

==See also==
* [[Laurentian Library]]
* [[Malatestiana Library]]
* [[Vatican Library]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=note|30em}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{wikicite | ref = Direzione-Biblioteche| reference = ''Le Biblioteche pubbliche statali: storia e sedi nei 150 anni dell’unificazione nazionale: vademecum delle biblioteche pubbliche statali e degli istituti culturali'', ed. by Direzione generale per i beni librari, gli istituti culturali ed il diritto d'autore (Roma: Gangemi, 2011)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Broderick-Ascent| reference =  Broderick, Jarrod M., 'Ascent to Wisdom: The Marciana Staircase and the Patrician Ideal', ''Studi veneziani'', LXXVII (2018), 15–171 {{ISSN|0392-0437}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Broderick-Custodian| reference =  Broderick, Jarrod M., 'Custodian of Wisdom: The Marciana Reading Room and the Transcendent Knowledge of God', ''Studi veneziani'', LXXIII (2016), 15–94 {{ISSN|0392-0437}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Burckhardt-Cicerone| reference = [[Jacob Burckhardt|Burckhardt, Jacob]], ''Der Cicerone eine Anleitung zum Genuss der Kunstwerke Italiens, vol 1, Architektur'' (Leipzig: Verlag von E. A. Seemann, 1869)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Chambers-Age| reference =  Chambers, David, ''The Imperial Age of Venice 1380–1580'' (London: Thames & Hudson, 1970) {{ISBN|0155408917}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Coryat-Crudities| reference = [[Thomas Coryat|Coryat, Thomas]], ''Coryat's Crudities: Hastily {{not a typo|gobled}} up in five {{not a typo|Monteths travells}} in France, Savoy, Italy...'', 3 vols (London: W. S., 1611; repr. London: W. Cater, 1776)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Curl-Dictionary| reference =  Curl, James Stevens, ''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture'', 2nd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Grendler-Schooling| reference =  Grendler, Paul, ''Schooling in Renaissance Italy: Literacy and Learning 1300–1600'' (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989) {{ISBN|9780801842290}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Hartt-History| reference = [[Frederick Hartt|Hartt, Frederick]], ''History of Italian Renaissance art: painting, sculpture, architecture'', New Revised Edition (London: Thames & Hudson, 1987) {{ISBN|0500235104}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Hirthe-Libreria| reference =  Hirthe, Thomas, 'Die Libreria des Iacopo Sansovino: Studien zu Architektur und Ausstattung eines Öffentlichen Gebäudes in Venedig', ''München Jahrbuch der Bildenden Kunst'', 37 (1986), 131–176}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Hope-Paintings| reference = [[Charles Hope (art historian)|Hope, Charles]], 'The Ceiling Paintings in the Libreria Marciana', in Massimo Gemin, ed., ''Nuovi Studi su Paolo Veronese'' (Venezia: Arsenale Editrice, 1990), pp.&nbsp;290–298 {{ISBN|8877430567}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Howard-History| reference = [[Deborah Howard|Howard, Deborah]], ''The Architectural History of Venice'' (London: B. T. Batsford, 1980) {{ISBN|9780300090291}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Howard-Sansovino| reference = [[Deborah Howard|Howard, Deborah]], ''Jacopo Sansovino: architecture and patronage in Renaissance Venice'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1975) {{ISBN|9780300018912}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Humfrey-Painting| reference =  Humfrey, Peter, ''Painting in Renaissance Venice'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995) {{ISBN|0300067151}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Ivanoff-coronamento| reference =  Ivanoff, Nicola, 'Il coronamento statuario della Marciana', ''Ateneo veneto'', n.s., vol. 2 (1964), 101–112 {{ISSN|0004-6558}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Ivanoff-libreria| reference =  Ivanoff, Nicola, 'La libreria marciana: arte e iconologia', ''Saggi e Memorie di storia dell'arte'', 6 (1967), 33–78 {{OCLC|929872434}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Labowsky-Library| reference = [[Lotte Labowsky|Labowsky, Lotte]], ''Bessarion's Library and the Biblioteca Marciana, Six Early Inventories'' (Roma: Storia e Letteratura, 1979) {{ISBN|9788884985699}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Lotz-Libreria| reference = [[Wolfgang Lotz (art historian)|Lotz, Wolfgang]], 'La Libreria di S. Marco e l'urbanistica del Rinascimento', in Bollettino del Centro Internazionale di studi di architettura ‘A. Palladio’, III (I961), 85–88 {{ISSN|0577-3008}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Lotz-trasformazione| reference = [[Wolfgang Lotz (art historian)|Lotz, Wolfgang]], ''La trasformazione sansoviniana di Piazza S. Marco e l'urbanistica del Cinquecento'' (Vicenza: Centro internazionale di studi di architettura Andrea Palladio, 1966) SBN VEA1200235}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Lotz-Legacy| reference = [[Wolfgang Lotz (art historian)|Lotz, Wolfgang]], 'The Roman Legacy in Sansovino's Venetian Buildings', ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'', Vol. 22, No. 1 (Mar 1963), 3–12 {{ISSN|0037-9808}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Marcon-segnature| reference =  Marcon, Susy, 'Le segnature dei manoscritti marciani', in Filippomaria Pontani, ed., ''Certissima signa'' (Venezia, Edizioni Ca’ Foscari, 2017), pp.&nbsp;11–39 {{ISBN|9788875434403}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Morolli-Scamozzi| reference =  Morolli, Gabriele, 'Vincenzo Scamozzi e la fabbrica delle Procuratie Nuove', in Gabriele Morolli, ed., ''Le Procuratie Nuove in Piazza San Marco'' (Roma: Editalia, 1994), pp.&nbsp;11–116 {{ISBN|9788870603095}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Morresi-Sansovino| reference =  Morresi, Manuela, ''Jacopo Sansovino'' (Milano: Electa, 2000) {{ISBN|8843575716}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Palladio-libri| reference = [[Andrea Palladio|Palladio, Andrea]], ''I quattro libri dell'architettura'' (Venetia: Bartolomeo Carampello, 1581)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Paolucci-sala| reference = [[Antonio Paolucci|Paolucci, Antonio]], 'La sala della libreria e il ciclo pittorico', in Rodolfo Pallucchini, ed., ''Da Tiziano a El Greco. Per la storia del Manierismo a Venezia 1540–1590'' (Milano: Electa, 1981), pp.&nbsp;287–299 {{OCLC|1126366636}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Pittoni-libreria| reference =  Pittoni, Laura, ''La libreria di san Marco'' (Pistoia: Giuseppe Flori, 1903)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Raines-Museum| reference =  Raines, Dorit, 'Book Museum or Scholarly Library? The 'Libreria di San Marco' in a Republican Context', ''Ateneo veneto'', CXCVII, terza serie, 9/II (2010), 31–50 {{ISSN|0004-6558}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Rapp-Bessarion| reference = [[Claudia Rapp|Rapp, Claudia]], 'Bessarion of Nicaea', in [[Anthony Grafton]], [[Glenn W. Most]], and [[Salvatore Settis]], ed., ''The Classical Tradition'' (Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010), pp.&nbsp;125–126 {{ISBN|0674072278}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Ridolfi-maraviglie| reference = [[Carlo Ridolfi|Ridolfi, Carlo]], ''Le maraviglie dell'arte, overo Le vite de gl'illustri pittori veneti, e dello Stato'' (Venetia: Gio. Battista Sgava, 1648)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Rosand-Myths| reference = [[David Rosand|Rosand, David]], ''Myths of Venice: the Figuration of a State'' (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001) {{ISBN|0807826413}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Ross-Schools| reference =  Ross, James Bruce, 'Venetian Schools and Teachers Fourteenth to Early Sixteenth Century: A Survey and a Study of Giovanni Battista Egnazio', ''Renaissance Quarterly'', Volume 29, Issue 4 (Winter 1976), 521–566 {{ISSN|0034-4338}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Ruggeri-decorazione| reference =  Ruggeri, Ugo, 'La decorazione pittorica della libreria Marciana', in Vittore Branca and Carlo Ossola, ''Cultura e società nel Rinascimento tra riforme e manierismi'' (Firenze: L. S. Olschki, 1984), pp.&nbsp;313–333}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Sansovino-Venetia| reference = [[Francesco Sansovino|Sansovino, Francesco]], ''Venetia città nobilissima et singolare descritta in 14 libri'' (Venetia: Iacomo Sansovino, 1581)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Schultz-Ceilings| reference =  Schultz, Juergen, ''Venetian Painted Ceilings of the Renaissance'' (Berkeley-Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1968) {{ISBN|1135682291}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Serlio-Regole| reference = [[Sebastiano Serlio|Serlio, Sebastiano]], ''Regole generali di architetura sopra le cinque maniere de gli edifici: cioe, thoscano, dorico, ionico, corinthio, et composito, con gli essempi dell'antiquita, che per la magior parte concordano con la dottrina di Vitruvio'', vol. IV (Venetia: Francesco Marcolini, 1537)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Sperti-Temi| reference =  Sperti, Luigi, 'Temi ovidiani nella Libreria sansoviniana a Venezia', ''Eidola: International Journal of Ancient Art History'', 8 (2011), 155–178 {{ISSN|1826-719X}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Summerson-Language| reference = [[John Summerson|Summerson, John]], ''The Classical Language of Architecture'', World of Art series, Revised and Enlarged Edition (London: Thames and Hudson, 1980) {{ISBN|0500201773}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Tafuri-Renovatio| reference =  Tafuri, Manfredo, ''Renovatio urbis: Venezia nell'età di Andrea Gritti (1523–1538)'' (Roma: Officina, 1984) {{OCLC|929859214}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Tavernor-Palladio| reference =  Tavernor, Robert, ''Palladio and Palladianism'' (London: Thames & Hudson, 1991) {{ISBN|9780500202425}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Wittkower-principles| reference = [[Rudolf Wittkower|Wittkower, Rudolf]], ''Architectural principles in the age of humanism'' (London: Tiranti, 1952) {{ISBN|0393005992}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zanetti-Græca| reference = [[Antonio Maria Zanetti (the younger)|Zanetti, Antonio Maria]], ed., ''Græca D. Marci Bibliotheca codicum manu scriptorum per titulos digesta'' (Venetiis: Casparis Ghirardi & Simonem Occhi, 1740)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zanetti-Latina| reference = [[Antonio Maria Zanetti (the younger)|Zanetti, Antonio Maria]], ed., ''Latina et italica D. Marci Bibliotheca codicum manu scriptorum per titulos digesta'' (Venetiis: Casparis Ghirardi & Simonem Occhi, 1741)}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zorzi-Bessarione| reference =  Zorzi, Marino, 'Bessarione e Venezia', in [[Gianfranco Fiaccadori]], ed., ''Bessarione e l'umanesimo: catalogo della Mostra'' (Napoli: Vivarium, 1994), pp.&nbsp;197–228 {{ISBN|8885239099}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zorzi-Biblioteca| reference =  Zorzi, Marino, ''Biblioteca Marciana Venezia'' (Firenze: Nardini, 1988) {{ISBN|8840410031}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zorzi-Cenni| reference =  Zorzi, Marino, 'Cenni sulle vita e sulla figura di Bessarione', in [[Gianfranco Fiaccadori]], ed., ''Bessarione e l'umanesimo: catalogo della Mostra'' (Napoli: Vivarium, 1994), pp.&nbsp;1–19 {{ISBN|8885239099}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zorzi-libreria| reference =  Zorzi, Marino, ''La libreria di san Marco: libri, lettori, società nella Venezia dei dogi'' (Milano: Mondadori, 1987) {{ISBN|8804306866}}}}
* {{wikicite | ref = Zorzi-Libraries| reference =  Zorzi, Marino, 'National Libraries of Italy', in David H. Stam, ed., ''International Dictionary of Library Histories'', 2 vols (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001), I, pp.&nbsp;472–481 {{ISBN|9781579582449}}}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|marciana.venezia.sbn.it}} {{in lang|it}}
* [http://cataloghistorici.bdi.sbn.it/file_viewer.php?IDIMG=&IDCAT=240&IDGRP=2400001 Catalogue of Greek codices] {{in lang|la}}
* [http://cataloghistorici.bdi.sbn.it/file_viewer.php?IDIMG=&IDCAT=243&IDGRP=2430001 Catalogue of Latin codices (includes French and Italian codices)] {{in lang|la}}

{{Piazza San Marco}}
{{Jacopo Sansovino}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|45|26|00|N|12|20|21|E|type:landmark|display=title}}

{{featured article}}

[[Category:Archives in Italy]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Venice]]
[[Category:Jacopo Sansovino buildings]]
[[Category:Libraries in Venice|Marciana]]
[[Category:Museums in Venice]]
[[Category:National libraries in Italy]]
[[Category:Piazza San Marco]]
[[Category:Renaissance architecture in Venice]]
[[Category:Libraries established in the 15th century]]