Restored in 1995 with Save Venice general funds.

An elegantly draped, standing female figure, this personification of Wisdom has been compared with Tullio Lombardo’s Virtues on the funerary monument of Doge Andrea Vendramin in the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. It also shares certain stylistic qualities with the sculptural work of Giovanni Buora.

It is very likely that this sculpture was originally part of a larger ensemble for a similar tomb monument to a powerful individual; a representation of Wisdom would likely have been one in a series of female personifications, all of which would have stood as a tribute the virtues of the deceased.

The work was restored by conservator Toto Bergamo and the Sansovino restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Ettore Merkel of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

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.

Tullio Lombardo (c. 1455–1532) or Giovanni Buora (c. 1450–1513) [attr.]
Personification of Wisdom
c. 1480s-90s, marble
82 cm tall

Chorus Association: Church of Santo Stefano