Vittore Carpaccio

(c. 1460 - 1525/1526)

Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1460 - 1525/1526) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school, who studied under Gentile Bellini. He is best known for a cycle of nine paintings, The Legend of Saint Ursula. His style was somewhat conservative, showing little influence from the Humanist trends that transformed Italian Renaissance painting during his lifetime. He was influenced by the style of Antonello da Messina and Early Netherlandish art.

For this reason, and also because so much of his best work remains in Venice, his art has been rather neglected by comparison with other Venetian contemporaries, such as Giovanni Bellini or Giorgione. He is perhaps known best for his large urban scenes, such as that the painting showing a miraculous healing at the Rialto Bridge (at right). These canvases offer some of the best impressions of the Venice at the height of its power and wealth, illustrating the strong sense of the civic pride among its citizens. In other paintings he demonstrates a sense of fantasy that seems to look back to medieval romance, rather than sharing in the pastoral vision of the next generation.