VERONESE, Paolo
(b. 1528, Verona, d. 1588, Venezia)

Conquest of Smyrna

1585
Oil on canvas
Palazzo Ducale, Venice

On the ceiling decoration of the Sala del Maggior Consiglio great importance was given to the victories of the Venetian army in conquering the mainland; along the wall to the dispute between Alexander III and Frederick Barbarossa, who reached an agreement in Venice with the political mediation of Doge Sebastiano Ziani; and to the events of the Fourth Crusade, led by Doge Enrico Dandolo in the early years of the 13th century.

Veronese's Conquest of Smyrna is one of the thirty five panels on the ceiling of the Sala del Maggior Consiglio. It depicts Pietro Mocenigo leading the attack on Smyrna.