Scenes from the Life of Saint Ursula: Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of Saint Ursula
Dublin Core
Title
Scenes from the Life of Saint Ursula: Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of Saint Ursula
Description
This painting is eight of nine paintings of Carpaccio's St. Ursula collection that depicts scenes from St. Ursula's life. Carpaccio, most likely a student of Gentile Bellini, formed his own unique style of story telling through narrative paintings.
This particular piece portrays both the martyrdom and funeral of St. Ursula. Notably, on the left half of the painting St. Ursula kneels as she faces her executioner, the chief of the Huns who asked for her hand in marriage and she rejected, with the mass of virgins behind her. He is pointing an arrow at her as she kneels with her hands together in prayer. The painting is balanced with a more solemn composition to the right, opposing the violent scene to the left. Her funeral parade marches out of town in a dignified manner. The two scenes create a complex, but balanced whole. The Venetian background keeps the painting flowing as one.
This particular piece portrays both the martyrdom and funeral of St. Ursula. Notably, on the left half of the painting St. Ursula kneels as she faces her executioner, the chief of the Huns who asked for her hand in marriage and she rejected, with the mass of virgins behind her. He is pointing an arrow at her as she kneels with her hands together in prayer. The painting is balanced with a more solemn composition to the right, opposing the violent scene to the left. Her funeral parade marches out of town in a dignified manner. The two scenes create a complex, but balanced whole. The Venetian background keeps the painting flowing as one.
Creator
Vittore Carpaccio
Source
Rodini, Elizabeth. "The Politics of Marriage in Carpaccio's St. Ursula Cycle." Early Modern Women 8 (2013): 85-117. Accessed September 7, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23617847.
“Vittore Carpaccio (Italian, about 1460 - 1526) (Getty Museum).” The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Getty Conservation Research Foundation. Accessed September 4, 2020. http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/790/vittore-carpaccio-italian-about-1460-1526/.
Vittore Carpaccio. 1493. Scenes from the Life of Saint Ursula: Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of Saint Ursula. paintings. Place: Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Venice, Italy, Cat. no. 580. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039614872.
“Vittore Carpaccio (Italian, about 1460 - 1526) (Getty Museum).” The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Getty Conservation Research Foundation. Accessed September 4, 2020. http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/790/vittore-carpaccio-italian-about-1460-1526/.
Vittore Carpaccio. 1493. Scenes from the Life of Saint Ursula: Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of Saint Ursula. paintings. Place: Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Venice, Italy, Cat. no. 580. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039614872.
Publisher
Scuola di Sant'Orsola
Date
1493
Contributor
Olivia Migli
Rights
File Name
scala_0098604g_post.fpx
SSID
14493013
scala_0098604g_post.fpx
SSID
14493013
Format
oil on canvas
271 x 561 cm
271 x 561 cm
Type
painting
Coverage
Saint Ursula Cycle, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Collection
Citation
Vittore Carpaccio , “Scenes from the Life of Saint Ursula: Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of Saint Ursula,” ARTHIST 89S - Visual Culture of Venice - Fall 2020, accessed October 22, 2026, https://venice.dahvc.org/fall-2020/items/show/5.