UNKNOWN MASTER, Italian
(active 1310 in Venice)

St Donatus Altarpiece (detail)

1310
Polychrome and gilded wood
Santi Maria e Donato, Murano

This altarpiece is the first dated work in the history of Venetian art. It was executed in 1310 by artists from various shops all working together to produce what today we would call a "mixed technique" piece in which painting plays a marginal role.

The picture shows the central figure, St Donatus, carved and painted, of imposing grandeur.