Carpaccio. Story of Saint Ursula.

A prominent and original figure in the history of 15th ^century Venetian painting century, Vittore Carpaccio (Venice, around 1460-1526) is an artist whose origins and training remain mysterious. However, it is believed that he was influenced by Bellini and Antonello da Messina, and that he maintained relations with Flemish art and with artistic areas outside the Veneto.
The cycle of the History of Saint Ursula was executed between 1490 and 1496 for the Scuola di Sant'Orsola in Venice, formerly located next to the apse of the Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo. It constitutes one of the painter's most innovative and original works.
This series of eight paintings evokes various episodes from the life of the saint, inspired by the Golden Legend by Jacques de Voragine. Carpaccio here implements a new narrative form close to the northern tapestries, which he enriches with multiple anecdotes and formal inventions. The different scenes take place in the picturesque setting of Venetian festivals, but he does not hesitate to mix in a whole imaginary world made of dreams and fantasy.