Restored in 1990 with Save Venice general funds.

Paris Bordone was born on the Venetian mainland in Treviso and trained in Venice with Titian at the beginning of his career. His altarpiece for the church of Sant’Andrea della Zirada depicts Saint Augustine, to whose order the nuns of the church belonged.

In Bordone’s painting, Augustine is dressed in bishop’s garb and is depicted in the company of two angels. One angel holds his crosier, or ceremonial staff, and the second displays his mitre, the characteristic headpiece of his office. The figures are situated within a grand architectural setting that suggests an ecclesiastical space. Augustine is framed by a tall arch flanked by variegated marble columns, and two massive stone pedestals stand behind the two angels.

Augustine was a highly influential early Christian theologian who served as the Bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430. He is considered to be one of the Latin fathers of the church, and in Roman Catholicism is recognized as one of the four doctors of the church, together with Saints Ambrose, Gregory the Great, and Jerome. This title was given to these four saints because their writings were particularly important for the development of Christian doctrine.

The work was restored by conservator Serafino Volpin, with the guidance of project director Annalisa Perissa 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.

Paris Bordone (c. 1495–1570)
Saint Augustine
Mid-sixteenth century, oil on canvas
253 x 168 cm