III Desire for Power, Prosperity and Longevity of the Venetian Government
In addition to telling the vice and virtue of mankind, classical mythology has a more important task to celebrate and highlight the governance of the city of Venice. These characters and landscapes blend images of harmony and prosperity with classical inspiration. These arts use characters in myths and allegory as media and symbols to convey a deeper political message. In these paintings, we can see how the artist used some unique elements to represent Venice, and embodied political metaphors in the image, such as Minerva, the Virgin, as the protector of Venice, the incarnation of the divine woman of Venice, or St. Mark the lion, etc. signifying Venice's thriving nature under the doge and Venetian government‘s rules. They praise the virtue, prosperity, and strength of the Venetian Republic.