Archangel Gabriel and Virgin Annunciate: conservation funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.
Prophet Saul: conservation funded by Save Venice Inc.
King David: conservation funded by David and Katherine McRae through the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.
Prophet Isaiah: conservation funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.
Prophet Daniel: conservation funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.
Erythraean Sibyl: conservation funded by Friends in Honor of Axel Hansing
Samian Sibyl: conservation funded by Carla Comelli and Marco Pecori
Cumaean Sibyl: conservation funded by The Thompson Family Foundation, Inc.
Tiburtine Sibyl: conservation funded by The Thompson Family Foundation, Inc.
Saint Sebastian pierced with arrows: conservation funded by Heavensent Foundation/José Luis Nazar
Three Archers: conservation funded in Honor of Nora L. Gibson
Sebastian Before Diocletian: conservation funded by the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation
Martyrdom of St. Sebastian: conservation funded by Richard K. Riess
Prophet Ezekiel: conservation funded by Save Venice Inc.
Prophet Jeremiah: conservation funded by Victoria and Frederick Frelow in Honor of Michael LaPlaca
Saint Peter: conservation funded by William and Munja Orzolek Foundation in Honor of Yongkak (Peter) Kim
Saint Paul: conservation funded by Richard and Jill Almeida
Sibyl Holding a Book: conservation funded by Richard and Jill Almeida
Sibyl Holding a Shield: conservation funded by Boston Young Friends of Save Venice
Sibyl Listening to Ezekiel: conservation funded by the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation
Sibyl Reading: conservation funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.
Sibyl with a Banner: conservation funded by The James R. Dougherty, Jr. Foundation, Inc. through Beatrice Rossi-Landi, Trustee
Sibyl Pointing to a Book: Conservation funded by Chris Carlsmith in Honor of His Mother Lyn K. Carlsmith, Ph.D., through the Boston Chapter of Save Venice
Two Angels with a Lute: conservation funded in Honor of the 2012 Gala Sponsors
Two Angels with a Violin and Illusionistic Architecture: conservation funded by Cat Jagger Pollon in Honor of Bea & Bob Guthrie and Terry & Dennis Stanfill
Two Monks: conservation funded by the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, Inc.
Two Faux Tapestries: conservation funded by Angela Caveness Weisskopf
Grotesques and Garlands: conservation funded by Carol Lynn MacGregor, Ph.D.
Saint Peter: conservation funded in Honor of Nora L. Gibson
Saint John the Evangelist: conservation funded by Friends and Family in Memory of Sidney Stires
Saint James the Greater: conservation funded by Angela Caveness Weisskopf
Saint Andrew: conservation funded by Irina Tolstoy Gans and John G. Gans
Saint Matthew: conservation funded by Anne Fitzpatrick Cucchiaro in Honor of Melissa Conn and Frederick Ilchman
Saint Bartholomew: conservation funded by Andrew Jones and Laura Hodgson
Saint Thomas: conservation funded by Peter Freeman in Honor of His Father, Donald Freeman, through the Boston Chapter
Saint Paul: conservation funded by José and Beatrice Esteve
King David: conservation funded by the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation
Prophet Isaiah: conservation funded by Mark Hunter Voss in memory of Mr. Edwin P. Voss and Dr. Gordon F. Schwartz

From 1558 to 1559, Paolo Veronese continued his decorative cycle in the church of San Sebastiano by painting murals on the walls of the nave of the church.

Beginning on the west wall a depiction of the Annunciation graces the triumphal arch that frames the presbytery, with the Archangel Gabriel on the left and the Virgin Mary on the right. To either side of them, splendid female figures are arranged in pairs above the lateral chapels. They depict the Erythraean, Samian, Cumaean, and Tiburtine sibyls — ancient oracles who prophesied the coming and triumph of Christ. The frescoed frieze extends around the upper walls of the nave and is punctuated by pairs of spiral columns. Such columns have been associated with the divinely planned temple of Solomon; as such they assumed symbolic value as architectural signs of Divine Wisdom. In San Sebastiano, these units, along with the prophets and sibyls they frame, mediate between the Old Testament theme of the ceiling and the Christian narratives represented below.

Around the monks’ loft, located above the entrance to the church, Veronese frescoed scenes from the life of Saint Sebastian, as well as representations of prophets, saints, sibyls, music-making angels, faux tapestries, and even an image of two Hieronymite monks from the monastic community at San Sebastiano.

Particularly dramatic is the attempted martyrdom of the patron saint of the church, an event that takes place across the open space of the nave. Midway on one side, three archers draw their bows, poised to shoot Saint Sebastian; he is depicted on the other side of the church, pierced by arrows. A large fresco of a defiant Sebastian before Diocletian in the monks’ loft illustrates the saint’s miraculous survival of the Roman emperor’s first attempt to martyr him, while his final bludgeoning is dramatically staged on the facing wall.

Closer to the space where the faithful gathered in the church for worship, Veronese painted depictions of the twelve apostles. Eight of them have been identified in the spandrels of the side chapels on both sides of the nave: John the Evangelist, James the Greater, Andrew, Peter, Matthew, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Paul. Their four remaining companions did not stand the test of time; their location on the lower wall of the Monks’ Loft is now covered with a 19th-century mural of grotesques and garlands, match Veronese’s architectural backgrounds, but lacking figures.

Two larger-than-life frescoes of King David and the Prophet Isaiah flank the church’s wooden organ loft, which was also designed and painted by Paolo Veronese in 1559.

The restoration of the fresco cycle was undertaken in phases; this allowed the church to remain open to visitors, and permitted the restorers to address the variety of conservation issues that affected each area of the church. The restoration campaign was executed by Egidio Arlango and the Arlango Restoration Firm; and Lucia Tito and the CBC Restoration Firm.

2011-12 – Frescoes Adjacent to the Presbytery
Restorers removed grime and clumsy repainting from past restorations of the Annunciation scene, as well as the four flanking prophets, revealing Veronese’s vivid and expert fresco technique. The cleaning of the sybils, painted in oil and tempera on dry plaster, brought to light Veronese’s true color scheme.

2013-2014 – Frescoes Above the Funerary Monument of Livio Podacataro and Frescoes in the Monks’ Loft
In addition to removing grime and clumsy repainting from past restorations, restorers also repaired damage from previous water infiltration through the church’s windows, and large previous losses and cracks were reintegrated with toned stucco fills to minimize their appearance.

2014-2015 – Frescoes on the Lower Walls of the Church, Above the Side Chapels
The apostles were painted directly on dry plaster with egg tempera and oil paint. This unusual choice of technique created a highly dramatic visual effect, but is more vulnerable than true fresco, and these areas have suffered damage due to the humid and salt-filled Venetian climate.

2015 – Frescoes Flanking the Church’s Organ Loft
The frescoes of King David and the Prophet Isaiah, flanking the organ, were painted later than the other frescoes in the church. Once again, Veronese used the “a secco” or dry fresco technique, and as a result these two frescoes have suffered greatly from the effects of humidity and salt deposits. Conservators removed heavy and clumsy overpainting from previous restorations and removed surface dirt and grime, revealing refined details and colors.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Individual images of the fresco cycle coming soon!