Built between 1428 and 1430 for the Contarini family, Ca’ d’Oro, also known as Palazzo Santa Sofia, is among the oldest palaces in Venice. The name of the palace, meaning “golden house,” derives from the gilt and polychrome external decorations that could not survive today. Today, the palace has been functioning as a museum called Galleria Giorgio Franchetti since 1927.
The marble traceries on the first two floors as well as the parapets of the windows and balconies are typical late-Gothic elements. On the other hand, there are also Renaissance elements such as the small square windows and the arcade facing the Grand Canal. Additionally, the forms of the cornice decorations reflect the Venetian taste.
In 1846, the palazzo was purchased by Alessandro Trubetzkoi as a gift for the famous ballerina Marie Taglioni. By that time, the building was in a ruinous situation. However, a significant amount of original Gothic pieces including the stairway of the inner courtyard and the balconies were removed. As a result, the architect was imprisoned for vandalism.
The palazzo acquired its last owner, Baron Giorgio Franchetti, in 1894. Franchetti extensively restored the place and reconstructed the stairway and the Cosmatesque courtyard with ancient marble. Eventually, he bequeathed Ca’ d’Oro to the Italian State which operates the palazzo as a gallery displaying Franchetti’s large art collection.
