Fifteenth-Century Scene By an Italian Master

Little is known of the life of Vittore Carpaccio, even the date of his birth being uncertain. First mention of him is in 1472 in the will of his uncle. His series of mine pictures for the School of St. Ursula in Venice are his best known as well as his earliest dated works. They were painted between The years 1490 and 1495 and are now housed is a single room in the Venice gallery. The Dream of St. Ursula (above), most celebrated painting of the series, affords a delightful glimpse into a Venetian bedroom of the fifteenth century. The picture is painted with thick, rich color an a rather rough canvas, a method which was to become one of the outstanding features of the works of the later Venetian school of painters.