ACCADEMIA GALLERY, Legend Of Saint Ursula - 1

An unmissable landmark during your tour of the Accademia Gallery is the large room where you currently stand, which was specifically designed to display the entire cycle of the Legend of St. Ursula by Vittore Carpaccio. The paintings are from the late 1400s and were created to decorate a room of the small School dedicated to the saint: the now rather battered building can be found next to the Basilica of San Zanipolo.

An integral part of Carpaccio's painting cycle is the altar painting with the glory of St. Ursula, which is displayed on a separate wall here. You might find this canvas less successful and attractive than the narrative scenes, and you're not wrong: the composition is conventional, and some of the figures appear a bit forced, lacking credibility. You can still appreciate some of its unusual elements like the saint's strange pedestal formed by a bundle of palm trees and the little angels with their shower of flowers....