From January 25 to April 6, 2025, Castelfranco Veneto – a charming town not too far from Venice – is hosting the exhibition “Scholars and Libertines. The 18th Century in the City of Giorgione. Francesco Maria Preti,” a multi-venue event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the passing of the eminent architect Francesco Maria Preti. The exhibition takes place in three prestigious venues: the Teatro Accademico, the Casa Giorgione Museum, and Palazzo Soranzo Novello.
The exhibition offers a fascinating journey into the 18th century, when Castelfranco Veneto was a lively cultural and commercial crossroads on the Venetian mainland. Through a rich selection of drawings, objects, textiles – including some of our Tessitura creations – furniture, and paintings, visitors can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the period and discover the works and innovations of Francesco Maria Preti and other important figures of the time, such as Giovanni Rizzetti, inventor of the Proportional Harmonic Mean, and Jacopo Riccati, a famous mathematician known for the equation that bears his name.
Castellan Architect Francesco Maria Preti
Francesco Maria Preti (1701-1774), the protagonist of the exhibition, was a prominent architect and intellectual of the 18th century. Famous for his design of the Teatro Accademico and Castelfranco Cathedral, he applied the theory of proportional harmonic mean in his work. A man of great culture, he mastered disciplines such as mathematics, philosophy, and music, played the spinet and clavicembalo, and had relationships with prominent figures such as Tommaso Temanza, Francesco Antonio Vallotti, and Giuseppe Tartini. The exhibition highlights his extraordinary contribution to architecture and his interdisciplinary vision of knowledge, combining science, art, and harmony.
Architect Francesco Maria Preti
Exhibition venues
The exhibition takes place in three emblematic venues in Castelfranco Veneto, each dedicated to a different aspect of the 18th century: architecture, science, art, and everyday life.
Teatro Accademico
Designed by Francesco Maria Preti, this theater represents a pioneering example of “Italian-style” theater. The section of the exhibition dedicated to Preti’s architectural designs offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about his innovative spatial and structural concepts.
Casa Giorgione Museum
Located in the same square as the Teatro Accademico, the museum houses a section dedicated to the most important scientific discoveries of the intellectual circle of the time. These include the refutation of Newton’s theory of color and reflections on the best form of Italian-style theater. An exhibition that highlights the cultural and scientific debates of the 18th century and the brilliant minds that animated the intellectual life of Castelfranco.
Palazzo Soranzo Novello
Built in the 14th century by the powerful Soranzo family and passed on to the Novello family in the 18th century, this splendid palace in front of the Civic Tower was probably renovated by Francesco Maria Preti himself. Open to the public for the first time, the palace houses the sections of the exhibition that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the daily and social life of the time, including the fashion, customs, and habits of the Castellan nobility. It is a real journey into the atmosphere of the 18th century, including furnishings, musical instruments, documents, and period clothing.
Bevilacqua Textiles and 18th-Century Fashion
Among the precious artifacts on display are some extraordinary textiles made by our Tessitura Bevilacqua, faithfully reproducing original 18th-century designs from our historical archive of more than 3,500 motifs.
– Bizar Lampas, a fine green silk fabric, bears witness to those decorative motifs known as “bizarre.” Originating in the 18th century in the Serenissima, these motifs are characterized by a daring fusion of natural, architectural, and abstract elements, often influenced by oriental aesthetics and woven into a dreamlike and striking whole.
Bizar Lampas
Venezia Brocade, in cream silk with precious gold threads.
Craquelé Damask, used to create a sumptuous coral silk dress.
These fabrics tell the story of the refined tastes of the time, characterized by a growing demand for creativity and innovation in designs, which led to an evolution of the Venetian textile industry. While in previous centuries decorative motifs remained in vogue for decades, the 18th century witnessed the establishment of a true seasonal fashion, with a constant renewal of patterns and colors.
Venice, still the leader of the European textile market at the beginning of the 18th century, faced growing international competition. Its production was characterized by the quality of its workforce, in which women played an increasingly important role: their employment in weaving was legalized in 1754 and contributed to the development of the industry.
The legacy of this era is still present today at Tessitura Bevilacqua, which continues to use original 18th-century looms to produce fabrics for haute couture and luxury furnishings, preserving a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship excellence.
A heritage of traditions that the Castelfranco exhibition invites visitors to rediscover, offering an immersive journey into the culture, science, and society of the 18th century.
Information
Casa Giorgione Museum
T +39 0423 735626
Locations:
- Museo Casa Giorgione
- Teatro Accademico
- Palazzo Soranzo Novello
Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.;
Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
