art in venice, 1400–1600 789
the service of Venice, who wanted to have an equestrian statue of himself
erected on the Piazza S. Marco. Verrocchio’s rider, on a pedestal designed
by Alessandro Leopardi (est. 1482–1522), was finally erected in 1496 on the
campo opposite the Scuola Grande of the city patron.
in Venice, as opposed to other centers of art, portrait busts were rather
rare until the mid-16th century. they became a badge of aristocratic lin-
eage later here than in other locations. the height of the display loca-
tions of busts on the ever-popular epitaphs, on tombs, over doors, or even
crowning fireplaces was taken into consideration by the sculptors; a bust
portrait at eye level was the exception.
With his altar painting the Madonna of the Pesaro Family of 1518
(S. Maria dei Frari), titian made politically and thus socially significant
statements about a prominent Venetian and his family. Since this water-
shed, at least, painters were able to satisfy, with artistic means, patrons’
self-images and their heightened demands inside the churches as well. the
number of altarpieces, in which the piety of the donor obtained elevated
attention through his size and location in the image, increased near the
end of the 16th century. examples include S. Giuseppe di castello (Portrait
of Michele Bon in connection with a Pietà by Parrasio Micheli [before
1516–78]) and S. Maria del Giglio (Altarpiece by tintoretto [1519–94] with
a portrait of Francesco Duodo, 1592). the piety and the self-image of the
portrayed, no different than in the portraits of doges or government offi-
cials, had became a theme in the altar painting.
The Scuolethe presence of the lay brotherhoods (scuole) of the five Scuole Grandi,
but also of the more than 100 Scuole Piccole, was conspicuous in the
townscape; their power to construct identity, to bolster the self-image of
its members in the society, was great. Fraternities based on citizenship,
profession, or devotion frequently decided upon pictorial programs in
which the patron saint or a holy relic was the focal point. On the façades
of the Scuole Grandi, the reliefs and statues could remind viewers of the
patron or patroness (Scuola della Vergine o della Misericordia) or certain
ideals (like the caritas [from c.1440] above the portal of the Scuola Grande
di S. Marco). Upon other façades the patron saint was represented as he was
being revered by members of the school. Similarities to devotional images
and investiture images in the Doge’s Palace were hardly coincidental.
Historical themes, like the one on the façade of the Scuola degli Albanesi,