Legend of St. Ursula: Dream of St. Ursula
Dublin Core
Title
Legend of St. Ursula: Dream of St. Ursula
Subject
Ursula, Saint
Dreams
Narrative cycles
Painting--Italy--15th C. A.D
Saints--Legends
Dreams
Narrative cycles
Painting--Italy--15th C. A.D
Saints--Legends
Description
This oil painting is the fifth in Vittore Carpaccio’s "Stories from the Life of St Ursula," commissioned by a scuola piccola called the Sculoa di San’Orsola to be displayed in their meeting house where prayer and devotion often occurred. A relatively young painter at the time, Carpaccio proved himself with these eight paintings, telling the story of a virgin Saint Ursula and her eleven thousand companions and depicting an early version the Venetian eyewitness style of painting cycles.
In the “Dream of Saint Ursula” painting specifically, Carpaccio shows off his expert attention to detail. He depicts an angel visiting Ursula in her dream to inform her about her death in the future as she sleeps in her canopied bed. Most of the light comes from behind the angel, indicating that he is coming from the heavens. However, the angel casts quite a dark shadow, which is symbolic of the heavy news he brings to Ursula, which contrasts heavily with her cushy lifestyle and the vibrant colors in her bedroom. Carpaccio also uses soft shadows quite well to highlight the luxury of Ursula’s bedroom, bathing her slippers, crown, and the rest of the contents of her room in a light glow. The attention to detail is also illustrated by the objects that he places in Ursula’s room, such as the carnations and myrtle, which symbolize earthly and heavenly love, and the holy image, both of which demonstrate her commitment to religion.
This painting also offers insight into the perception of marriage in early modern Venice. The staging of the painting pulls the focus onto Ursula and her bedroom by making the space feel enclosed through the lack of views out. The depiction of her dream in an enclosed setting with the focus on her supports the ideology that women should only be viewed and perceived in more intimate spaces. It gives credence to the idea that women and their doings should be protected from the outside world rather than out and in the open like how men conduct themselves, which is also represented in the architectural landscape of Venice. However, Elizabeth Rodini also notes that in the dream scene, Ursula is tightly confined in her bed, a matrimonial one at that, with only her head able to be seen clearly, which seems to indicate that even in situations where the focus is on her, Ursula is still relatively powerless and confined.
In the “Dream of Saint Ursula” painting specifically, Carpaccio shows off his expert attention to detail. He depicts an angel visiting Ursula in her dream to inform her about her death in the future as she sleeps in her canopied bed. Most of the light comes from behind the angel, indicating that he is coming from the heavens. However, the angel casts quite a dark shadow, which is symbolic of the heavy news he brings to Ursula, which contrasts heavily with her cushy lifestyle and the vibrant colors in her bedroom. Carpaccio also uses soft shadows quite well to highlight the luxury of Ursula’s bedroom, bathing her slippers, crown, and the rest of the contents of her room in a light glow. The attention to detail is also illustrated by the objects that he places in Ursula’s room, such as the carnations and myrtle, which symbolize earthly and heavenly love, and the holy image, both of which demonstrate her commitment to religion.
This painting also offers insight into the perception of marriage in early modern Venice. The staging of the painting pulls the focus onto Ursula and her bedroom by making the space feel enclosed through the lack of views out. The depiction of her dream in an enclosed setting with the focus on her supports the ideology that women should only be viewed and perceived in more intimate spaces. It gives credence to the idea that women and their doings should be protected from the outside world rather than out and in the open like how men conduct themselves, which is also represented in the architectural landscape of Venice. However, Elizabeth Rodini also notes that in the dream scene, Ursula is tightly confined in her bed, a matrimonial one at that, with only her head able to be seen clearly, which seems to indicate that even in situations where the focus is on her, Ursula is still relatively powerless and confined.
Creator
Vittore Carpaccio
Source
Carpaccio, Vittore, 1455?-1525?. c.1495. Legend of St. Ursula: Dream of St. Ursula. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000556629.
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.
Brown, P., 1988. Venetian Narrative Painting In The Age Of Carpaccio. New Haven: Yale University Press, pp.56-69.
Kren, E. and Marx, D., 2020. The Dream Of St Ursula By CARPACCIO, Vittore. [online] Wga.hu. Available at: <https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/carpacci/1ursula/2/50dream.html> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
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.
Brown, P., 1988. Venetian Narrative Painting In The Age Of Carpaccio. New Haven: Yale University Press, pp.56-69.
Kren, E. and Marx, D., 2020. The Dream Of St Ursula By CARPACCIO, Vittore. [online] Wga.hu. Available at: <https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/carpacci/1ursula/2/50dream.html> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
Publisher
Scuola di Sant'Orsola
Carpaccio, Vittore, 1455?-1525?. c.1495. Legend of St. Ursula: Dream of St. Ursula. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000556629.
Carpaccio, Vittore, 1455?-1525?. c.1495. Legend of St. Ursula: Dream of St. Ursula. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000556629.
Date
1495
Contributor
Rhea Niyyar
Rights
Use of this image is in accordance with the Artstor Terms & Conditions
Format
Oil on Canvas, 9'x8'9"
Type
painting
Coverage
Hall XXI, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
oil painting on canvas
Physical Dimensions
9'x8'9"
Collection
Citation
Vittore Carpaccio , “Legend of St. Ursula: Dream of St. Ursula,” ARTHIST 89S - Visual Culture of Venice - Fall 2020, accessed October 22, 2026, https://venice.dahvc.org/fall-2020/items/show/7.