Venice Enthroned with Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark
Dublin Core
Description
The name of this painting is called Venice Enthroned with Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. It was painted by Paolo Veronese from 1575-1576 and is painted on the ceiling of the Sala del Collegio. It is categorized under a collection with works of Veronese himself and Jacopo Tintoretto. Veronese was born in Verona to a stonecutter and an illegitimate daughter of a nobleman. He moved to Venice in the 1550s and stayed there ever since. He studied under Antonio Badile from about 1518 to 1560 and ended up marrying his daughter in 1566. Veronese worked for patrons, either religious and or secular, in Venice and the Veneto for most of his career. Some of his most famous works include the ceiling and wall painting for the library of S. Marco (1556-7), the Ducal Palace (early 1550s, 1575-82) and the full-scale decoration of the Venetian church of S. Sebastiano (1555-around 1570).
This painting provides the scene of Venice being enthroned with Justice, Peace and the Lion of Saint Mark. The angle of this painting is to get a whole view facing from the ground up of this important event. Venice is wearing a gorgeous gown with a golden patterned scheme on a white dress. She is sitting on her throne which has a luxurious, royal look to it. You see the red velvet lining in the chair that happens to look like what a king would wear. Her head is covered by a piece constructed into the chair to give her some shade and she watches what is happening below her. She looks determined yet happy at the same time. Below her are Peace and Justice, two important figures in the Venetian culture. They have been mentioned several times throughout the lectures and various Zoom classes we have had. Justice is holding a sword in her right arm which is representing power, strength and stability. Peace has a set of olive branches in her left arm which represents peace, freedom and victory. The Lion of Saint Mark is under Venice, painted dark and hidden to the human eye. I really had to squint to see him under Venice. The lion appears to be uncomfortable and just being told to sit quietly under the throne of Venice [1]. The background of this painting is a cloudy blue sky with the sun reflecting on Venice, Justice and Peace. Shade is covering up Venice because of the throne above her. It is significant because Justice and Peace, two very powerful spirits in the history of the Venetians, are enthroning Venice and they are providing her with protection, stability, peace and freedom. They also represent what Venice is made of, stability, power, and freedom. When viewing this painting in person, you would have to look up at the ceiling because it is placed on the ceiling.
[1] Griffith, Elizabeth. “The Winged Lion of St. Mark: Logo of Venice, Inc.,” 2005: 13. https://ebha.org/ebha2005/pdf%20papers/Griffith%20FINAL.pdf.
This painting provides the scene of Venice being enthroned with Justice, Peace and the Lion of Saint Mark. The angle of this painting is to get a whole view facing from the ground up of this important event. Venice is wearing a gorgeous gown with a golden patterned scheme on a white dress. She is sitting on her throne which has a luxurious, royal look to it. You see the red velvet lining in the chair that happens to look like what a king would wear. Her head is covered by a piece constructed into the chair to give her some shade and she watches what is happening below her. She looks determined yet happy at the same time. Below her are Peace and Justice, two important figures in the Venetian culture. They have been mentioned several times throughout the lectures and various Zoom classes we have had. Justice is holding a sword in her right arm which is representing power, strength and stability. Peace has a set of olive branches in her left arm which represents peace, freedom and victory. The Lion of Saint Mark is under Venice, painted dark and hidden to the human eye. I really had to squint to see him under Venice. The lion appears to be uncomfortable and just being told to sit quietly under the throne of Venice [1]. The background of this painting is a cloudy blue sky with the sun reflecting on Venice, Justice and Peace. Shade is covering up Venice because of the throne above her. It is significant because Justice and Peace, two very powerful spirits in the history of the Venetians, are enthroning Venice and they are providing her with protection, stability, peace and freedom. They also represent what Venice is made of, stability, power, and freedom. When viewing this painting in person, you would have to look up at the ceiling because it is placed on the ceiling.
[1] Griffith, Elizabeth. “The Winged Lion of St. Mark: Logo of Venice, Inc.,” 2005: 13. https://ebha.org/ebha2005/pdf%20papers/Griffith%20FINAL.pdf.
Creator
Paolo Veronese
Source
Griffith, Elizabeth. “The Winged Lion of St. Mark: Logo of Venice, Inc.,” 2005: 13. https://ebha.org/ebha2005/pdf%20papers/Griffith%20FINAL.pdf.
Krén, Emil, and Daniel Marx. “Venetia between Justitia and Pax.” Venetia between Justitia and Pax by VERONESE, Paolo, 1996. https://www.wga.hu/html_m/v/veronese/08/collegio/2ceilin2.html.
“Paolo Veronese.” The National Gallery, 2016. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/paolo-veronese.
Paolo Veronese, “Venice Enthroned with Justice, Peace, and the Lion of Saint Mark,” Venetian Art, accessed September 15, 2020, http://library.bc.edu/venetianart/items/show/1819.
Rearick, W. R. "Paolo Veronese's Earliest Works." Artibus Et Historiae 18, no. 35 (1997): 147-59.
Veronese, Paolo. 1575-1578. Ceiling of the Sala del Collegio, Venice Enthroned w/Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. painting. Place: Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/HUCB_SHARE_109913108135.
Veronese, 1528-1588. 16th C. Venice Ruling with Justice and Peace. Place: Palazzo ducale (Venice, Italy). https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000920403.
Krén, Emil, and Daniel Marx. “Venetia between Justitia and Pax.” Venetia between Justitia and Pax by VERONESE, Paolo, 1996. https://www.wga.hu/html_m/v/veronese/08/collegio/2ceilin2.html.
“Paolo Veronese.” The National Gallery, 2016. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/paolo-veronese.
Paolo Veronese, “Venice Enthroned with Justice, Peace, and the Lion of Saint Mark,” Venetian Art, accessed September 15, 2020, http://library.bc.edu/venetianart/items/show/1819.
Rearick, W. R. "Paolo Veronese's Earliest Works." Artibus Et Historiae 18, no. 35 (1997): 147-59.
Veronese, Paolo. 1575-1578. Ceiling of the Sala del Collegio, Venice Enthroned w/Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. painting. Place: Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/HUCB_SHARE_109913108135.
Veronese, 1528-1588. 16th C. Venice Ruling with Justice and Peace. Place: Palazzo ducale (Venice, Italy). https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000920403.
Publisher
Publisher: University of California, San Diego ; UC Berkeley
Image Rights: Veronese, Paolo. 1575-1578. Ceiling of the Sala del Collegio, Venice Enthroned w/Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. painting. Place: Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/HUCB_SHARE_109913108135.
Image Rights: Veronese, Paolo. 1575-1578. Ceiling of the Sala del Collegio, Venice Enthroned w/Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. painting. Place: Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/HUCB_SHARE_109913108135.
Date
1575-1576
Contributor
Seamus Harding
Rights
© Loren Partridge
Image Rights: Veronese, Paolo. 1575-1578. Ceiling of the Sala del Collegio, Venice Enthroned w/Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. painting. Place: Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/HUCB_SHARE_109913108135.
Image Rights: Veronese, Paolo. 1575-1578. Ceiling of the Sala del Collegio, Venice Enthroned w/Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark. painting. Place: Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/HUCB_SHARE_109913108135.
Format
Oil on canvas; 250 x 180 cm
Type
Painting
Coverage
Palazzo Ducale, Venice, Italy
Files
Citation
Paolo Veronese, “Venice Enthroned with Justice, Peace & the Lion of St. Mark,” ARTHIST 89S - Visual Culture of Venice - Fall 2020, accessed October 22, 2026, https://venice.dahvc.org/fall-2020/items/show/41.