UNKNOWN MASTER, Italian
(early 15th century, Venice)

Equestrian monument to Paolo Savelli

1410s
Wood
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice

Paolo Savelli was a Roman Prince, commander of the Venetian troops, who died of the plague in 1405, during the siege of Padua. On the Gothic sarcophagus stands the wooden statue of the Captain on horseback. Savelli, with velvet coat and a red cap, is holding the reins in his left hand, while with the right he holds his baton of command.

The elegant sarcophagus is by the school of Dalle Masegne. The other monument on the right is a Renaissance work, the monument to Benedetto Pesaro, made a century later, with the central statue by Lorenzo Bregno.