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

Arrival of the English Ambassadors (detail)

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

Below the wide portico that stretches out to the left with a row of arcades vanishing into the distance, alternating with areas of shadow, the elegant young members of the Compagnia della Calza are portrayed in poses of the most self-assured nonchalance, and showing indifference for what is happening nearby.

The many identifications of the people in the painting with contemporaries of Carpaccio's are all purely hypothetical. The most fascinating theory is the identification of the man in the red cloak to the left, outside the main scene of the event, looking towards the spectator: he is traditionally supposed to be either Pietro Loredan, one of the patrons who commissioned the decoration of the Scuola, or a self-portrait.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.