Lion of Saint Mark - Vittore Carpaccio, 1516
One of several images of Saint Mark's Lion which has been moved elsewhere in the city. This one is now in the Accademia Gallery --- --- --- Vittore Carpaccio’s symbolic Lion of Saint Mark was long believed to have been painted for the treasury office in the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi at the foot of the Rialto Bridge. Recent studies have uncovered that the work was commissioned in 1516 by five patricians who served as the administrators of the Dazio del Vino, the office responsible for levying duties on wine.
The painting represents the essence of Venice, a vast maritime empire flourishing as a center of international trade and culture. The lion’s powerful pose, with his hind legs immersed in Saint Mark’s Basin and his front paws on solid ground, signifies the republic’s domain over land and sea. With his right paw, the lion holds an open book that reads “Pax Tibi Marce, Evangelista Meus” — a reference to the legend of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice.
The detailed background not only demonstrates Carpaccio’s skill in landscape painting, but also provides an historic testament of the cityscape of early sixteenth-century Venice. The precise depiction of the Piazza San Marco includes the updated spire of the Clock Tower, a project that had been completed in 1515. The faithful view of Venice as seen from the island of San Giorgio Maggiore illustrates the Arsenale, the Lido, and boats in the lagoon.
Lion of Saint Mark - Vittore Carpaccio, 1516
One of several images of Saint Mark's Lion which has been moved elsewhere in the city. This one is now in the Accademia Gallery --- --- --- Vittore Carpaccio’s symbolic Lion of Saint Mark was long believed to have been painted for the treasury office in the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi at the foot of the Rialto Bridge. Recent studies have uncovered that the work was commissioned in 1516 by five patricians who served as the administrators of the Dazio del Vino, the office responsible for levying duties on wine.
The painting represents the essence of Venice, a vast maritime empire flourishing as a center of international trade and culture. The lion’s powerful pose, with his hind legs immersed in Saint Mark’s Basin and his front paws on solid ground, signifies the republic’s domain over land and sea. With his right paw, the lion holds an open book that reads “Pax Tibi Marce, Evangelista Meus” — a reference to the legend of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice.
The detailed background not only demonstrates Carpaccio’s skill in landscape painting, but also provides an historic testament of the cityscape of early sixteenth-century Venice. The precise depiction of the Piazza San Marco includes the updated spire of the Clock Tower, a project that had been completed in 1515. The faithful view of Venice as seen from the island of San Giorgio Maggiore illustrates the Arsenale, the Lido, and boats in the lagoon.