Restored in 2024 with funding from Xavier F. Salomon.

Directly below the organ, and above the door into the sacristy, is the  rectangular sarcophagus of brothers Lorenzo and Pietro Donato, which Save Venice is currently restoring. In 1536, Piero bequeathed 25 golden ducats to the friars of San Sebastiano in exchange for his burial within the church. The sarcophagus was then installed on the wall in 1539, as the marble plaque documents.

When building the organ, Veronese had to take into consideration the pre-existing tomb, and the wooden structure was created to surmount the marble sarcophagus. Most likely around 1560, Veronese also painted the two monochrome canvases which flank the tomb under the organ, and are placed between the sarcophagus and the wooden volutes which support the organ loft. Each painting represents an angel with a skull – either in their hands or at their feet – and holding extinguished torches. This iconography, which was to have a particular fortune in the Neoclassical era with artists such as Antonio Canova, is based on ancient sources. Winged figures of genii, transformed into angels in the Catholic world, are often represented with overturned torches to accompany funerary subjects, and in this case, Veronese included them as appropriate subjects to frame the Donato Tomb.

Long attributed to Paolo Veronese’s brother, Benedetto Caliari, the removal of the two canvases from the wall, and their close observation suggest that they are more likely the work of Paolo himself.

Both paintings appeared to be in good condition, though they were slightly obscured by a thick layer of dust. Additionally, heavy re-touchings from a previous treatment had altered the colors, and the surface varnish had oxidized, resulting in a yellowed appearance. The canvases, relined and remounted at least 30 years ago, required tension adjustment.

Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)
Two Angels
c. 1560, oil on canvas
62 x 131 cm; 66 x 131 cm

Cicogna, Emmanuele Antonio. Delle inscrizioni veneziane, vol. IV. Venice: Giuseppe Picotti Stampatore, 1834.

Pignatti, Terisio. Veronese. 2 vols. Venice: Alfieri Edizioni d’Arte, 1976

Ranieri, Paola. La chiesa di San Sebastiano a Venezia: la rifondazione cinquecentesca e la cappella di Marcantonio Grimani. “Venezia Cinquecento,” 24, 2002, pp. 5-139.

Salomon, Xavier, Davide Gasparotto, Gabriele Matino, and Melissa Conn. The Church of San Sebastiano in Venice: A Guide, Venice: Marsilio, 2024