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Francesco Foscari was one of the Republic's greatest Doges. In the thirty-four years of his dogate (1423-57) he carried its boundaries as far as the River Adda and to Ravenna with the aid of the famous generals Carmagnola, Gattamelata and Colleoni. He was nonetheless deposed by the Council of Ten on 23 October 1457 and died on 30 October to the sounds of bells announcing the nomination of his successor. Musicians and writers immortalised his name. The Foscari Loggia in the Ducal Palace and in the Foscari Palace (Ca' Foscari) bear his coat of arms and his tomb in the Frari, his mortal remains.
The monument is a transitional work in which the splendour of the decorative Gothic is beautifully wed with the harmony of Renaissance. The sarcophagus on which the Doge rests is supported by four graceful corbels embellished with the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. At the sides St Anthony of Padua and St Mark. At the corners of the sarcophagus the four cardinal virtues attend the Doge: Fortitude, Justice, Prudence and Temperance.
Two warriors bear the ducal shield and unfurl the canopy.
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