Vittore Carpaccio's Narrative Paintings in the Scuola Dalmata
May 11, 2021
Save Venice’s major campaign to restore Vittore Carpaccio’s narrative cycle in the Scuola Dalmata di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni continues to progress in the expert hands of conservator Valentina Piovan. Conservation treatment of the first painting in the series, The Calling of Saint Matthew, was completed in June 2020, followed by The Vision of Saint Augustine in December 2020. Valentina is now focusing her efforts on the Agony in the Garden and Saint George Slaying the Dragon.
The striking results of the treatment of The Vision of Saint Augustine are particularly evident in the recovery of Carpaccio’s vibrant colors and intricate details from beneath darkened varnishes and surface grime. Scientific analysis using infrared photography has revealed the exciting discovery of the artist’s preparatory drawings.
The conservation campaign has presented the opportunity to re-examine this narrative series and reconsider its iconography, as well as investigate Carpaccio’s creative process. These new discoveries were featured and discussed at Save Venice’s sponsored session at the annual Renaissance Society of America conference on April 15, 2021 and at an Education & Enrichment Series virtual lecture Standing in the Threshold: Carpaccio’s Saint Matthew Reconsidered on April 29, 2021 offered exclusively for Save Venice members.
Save Venice’s conservation campaign for Vittore Carpaccio’s paintings in the Scuola Dalmata is dedicated in honor of Patricia Fortini Brown, Save Venice Board Member and Professor Emerita of Art & Archaeology at Princeton University.
The campaign is made possible with major funding from The Versailles Foundation, Inc.
LEAD SPONSORS
Anne H. Fitzpatrick in Honor of Patricia Fortini Brown
The Estate of Charlotte Herrmann
Cultural Vision Fund
PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
Mr. & Mrs. James Myers
The Thompson Family Foundation, Inc.
SUPPORTERS
Irina Tolstoy, Sarah Blake McHam, and Frederick Ilchman in Honor of Patricia Fortini Brown
FRIENDS
Carter & Susan Emerson; Mitzi Mariani Rusconi; Jennifer Wade; Warren Ilchman; Francesca Stanfill & Richard Nye; Martha Fleischman; David Fierlafijn; and Jeffrey Hantover
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New York Office
133 East 58th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10022
Venice Office
Palazzo Contarini Polignac
Dorsoduro 870 30123 Venice, Italy
Rosand Library & Study Center
The Rosand Library & Study Center is accessible by appointment.