It’s reigned for over two centuries over the facade of St. Mark’s Basilica. Just above the Byzantine horses, the Lion, a celestial symbol, has sat upon its throne. But now the gold that adorns it has lost its supreme luster… Gabrielle Chanel made Venice her city; it is in this same vein that today, the brand that bears her name has decided to give this symbol of the city of Venice a second chance. It’s in this dreamy, poetic city of redemption that she first made the encounter: Chanel and St. Mark’s lion would become inseparable. It was a timeless city that seemed to float between sky and sea. An enrapturing city that would bring her sweet reprieve of memory and dreams alike, especially at night when the fading light covered it in gold… Her great love Boy Capel had just died in a terrible accident, two days before Christmas 1919. Their love story had lasted 10 years. By advancing her the funds to open her first boutique in Deauville, Boy taught Gabrielle how to truly love without being controlling, allowing her to claim her own independence.
In this violet-sprinkled city, Gabrielle chose to take refuge in the imposing silence of churches, where she would finally found comfort. And yet, she was still wary, wary of this eternal reference to the past, to the decrepitude that was hinted at behind the facades of the palaces on the Grand Canal. Little by little, she got into the game, following José-Maria Sert into museums, palaces, alleyways… “He knew everything,” she would later recount. “The itineraries of Antonello de Messine, the lives of Saints, what Dürer had engraved 40 years ago, (…) what varnishes Annibal Carrache used…” Immersed in a universe of beauty, Coco would finally rediscover her zest for life. Everything became unreal: the facades of the palaces, the canals, the alleyways… and Gabrielle liked to wander and lose herself, sometimes until the falling of night. Gabrielle Chanel made Venice her city.
Close to a century later, St. Mark’s lion has lost its superbness. That’s why Chanel is today getting on board with the Comité Français pour la Sauvegarde de Venise. This French organization has been restoring the Royal Palace of Venice and Piazza San Marc. They’ve also committed to financing the restoration of the Serenissima’s iconic sculpture: the Golden Lion. For several months, two teams have been hard at work restoring all the magic to the mosaic and gold details of the eternal guardian of Chanel’s heart. Thanks to these teams and the sponsorship of the house on the rue Cambon, these masterpieces of Venetian art can once more shine forth with an aesthetic might of which Mademoiselle Chanel would no doubt have approved.
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