action. The republic survived with most of its territories intact and unharmed,
although its ¿ nancial situation was weakened.
This is one of the most hypnotic portraits in Italian art. The purity of line and
shape translates into character, while the clarity of light and form translates
into intellect. Loredan seems to look toward the late afternoon sun, which
reÀ ects light in his pupils. The contrast of the lit and shadowed sides of
his face is typical in portraiture. The dark side is usually the left side and
represents vulnerability. Here, the duke’s face is mostly in the light. Loredan
makes no gesture or counter-movement, which translates into dignity and
moral superiority. There is a vivid but restricted palette and a strong pattern
in the fabric, constituted of damask woven with golden thread. This painting
owes much to Netherlandish painting, including the effects from the oil
medium, aspects of the character, and the presentation of a ¿ gure.
Bellini’s Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints (San Zaccaria
Altarpiece) (c. 1505) is in a prestigious church dedicated to the father of
St. John the Baptist. The church was founded by a doge and the eastern
emperor in the 9th century and was always closely associated with the doges.
The painting shows a gathering of saints called a sacred conversation.
From the left is St. Peter and behind him is St. Catherine of Alexandria.
Near the Madonna is St. Lucy with an oil lamp and St. Jerome in the red
cardinal vestments.
The architectural frame is integral to the altarpiece, with the painting slightly
behind it. The Madonna and Child are on the throne with a half dome
decorated in mosaics above them. The ¿ gures are arranged in a pyramidal
shape, with the two male saints forming the corners and the Madonna’s
head as the top. Note the way the light falls across the ¿ gures from the left.
St. Lucy is struck fully by the light, which is appropriate given that light
equates with purity. The male saints are painted from a frontal view, whereas
the female saints are painted in pro¿ le turned toward the Madonna. This
painting was the masterpiece of Bellini’s old age.
As seen in St. Francis in Ecstasy, Bellini reveled in the landscape of the
Venetian mainland territory, producing a vibrant record of nature in detail
and in sweep. This love of landscape is a crucial feature of Venetian painting,