CARPACCIO, Vittore
(b. 1472, Venezia, d. 1526, Capodistria)

The Ambassadors Depart (detail)

1495-1500
Oil on canvas
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

The regal dignity of Maurus and his counsellors, some portrayed in splendid profile poses, is counterbalanced by the deferential homage being paid by the ambassadors, a contrast that is repeated in the figures of the haughty secretary and the humble scribe.