Vittore Carpaccio
Time to move to beautiful Venice!
This beautiful painting, half of a double-sided panel with hinges and a latch, once functioned either as an ornamental window shutter or a cabinet door. The panel's front side depicts bird hunters in Venice, while the back side presents a trompe-l'oeil.
On the panel, groups of four (comprising rowers and archers) are seen in flat-bottomed boats hunting cormorants, which are depicted as glossy black waterfowl. Rather than using arrows, the hunters opt for clay pellets to stun the birds without harming their feathers. A scene captures a pellet mid-flight, launched by an archer from the boat at the bottom right corner, heading towards a bird in the forefront.
An anomalously large lily blossom at the painting's bottom left corner stands in stark contrast to the scale of other elements. A closer inspection reveals that this hunting tableau was likely the backdrop for another scene depicting two women on a balcony overlooking the lagoon, a piece currently housed in the Correr Museum in Venice (which we will feature in DailyArt soon). This companion painting features an empty stem in a vase on a balustrade, aligning perfectly with the blossom in our painting today. The matching wood grain on both panels has led to the confirmation that they were originally part of a single piece, which was likely divided before the 19th century.
P.S. Have you ever visited Venice? It is absolutely mesmerizing; no wonder it has inspired numerous artists. Discover Venice through the eyes of famous painters! For more art with Venice, see the articles below.
P.P.S. If you're a fan of Carpaccio and love the Italian Renaissance, you should check out our Italian Renaissance 50 Postcards Set; you will fall in love with the masterpieces presented in there! :)