St Ursula

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File:Vittore_carpaccio,_Apotheosis_of_St_Ursula_01.jpg
Accessed 13th August 2023
Image showing location of the Chapel of the Scuola di Sant'Orsola:

Image taken from:

Humfrey, Peter., ‘Competitive Devotions: The Venetian Scuole Piccole as Donors of

Altarpieces in the Years around 1500’, in The Art Bulletin , Sep., 1988, Vol. 70, No. 3 (Sep.,
1988), pp. 401-423
Image taken from Humfrey, 2022.

Title Apotheosis Of Saint Ursula

Date 1491

Size 481 x 335 cm

Material Tempera and oil on canvas.

Construction Pala. A unified field with a vertical format.

type
Signed and In the cartellino.
dated Action: Translate
Architectural Although no evidence of a stone frame remains, the architectural setting
Frame depicted in this scene lends itself to an architectural design. Therefore,
it seems likely that the design scheme originally featured an aedicule.
Relationship to The nineth and climatic painting in the cycle. No evidence remains of
physical the artwork’s organisation of display, although scholars hypothesise
environment regarding this.

According to the 18th century plan, see above, a niche existed where the
altar and altarpiece would naturally have been located.
Action: Investigate the layout of the chapel.

Current Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice

Location
Original Chapel of the Scuola di Sant'Orsola. This building was connected to the
Location basilica of SS. Giovanni e Paolo (San Zanipolo).

Patronage The Scuola di Sant'Orsola.

Perhaps the Loredan family, suggested by the three portraits.

Association with Dominican part of the church of SS Giovanni e Paolo

religious order
Subject / St. Ursula’s feast day is the 21st October. Famously, her relics
Narrative supposedly lie in the church of St. Ursula in Cologne. Carpaccio painted
a cycle of nine paintings depicting her story which decorated he walls
of the chapel of the Scuola di Sant'Orsola in the church of SS Giovanni
e Paolo. This was a large chapel, perhaps better described as an anti-
room off the church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo. According to the medieval
text The Golden Legend, Ursula was a princess who was reluctantly
promised in marriage to a pagan, British King. Before her intended
marriage she takes a pilgrimage to Rome with 11,000 virginal
handmaidens. Her martyrdom occurs on the group’s return. When
travelling through Cologne, Ursula and her companions are massacred
by the Huns.

The altarpiece provides the climax of the narrative. God the Father
hovers with open arms to receive Ursula in heaven after her martyrdom.
Ursula is ingeniously elevated on a sheaf of palm leaves. She is
surrounded by a crowd of kneeling women who are dressed in
contemporary fashion, they represent the eleven thousand Virgins who
 accompanied her on her pilgrimage. In addition to the numerous female
figures within the scene, there are a number of males. The pope is
identifiable from his headgear. Further, the heads of three males rise
above the crowd. These portraits were added at a later date and are
likely to be of members of the noble Loredan family who had been
connected with the Scuola since the fourteenth century.
Elevation St. Ursula is ingeniously elevated on a sheaf of palm leaves.
Setting The scene is framed by an open classicised arch, under which the
foreground action takes place. The viewer looks through the arch to a
town on a hill side. Above the landscape is an expanse of bright sky
with clouds.
Visual The scene appropriates the balanced composition of the sacra
organisation conversazione but instead presents a narrative scene, in a similar way to
Carpaccio's later altarpiece The Presentation of Jesus in the
Temple (1510).
Colour A bold colour palette

Light Notice the light landing on the internal wall of the arch, is this from
behind of Ursula’s mystical light? As only one side perhaps it is natural.

The light appears temporal.

Perspective  Light and shade, see wall of arch.

 Tone and hue, see clothing.
 Foreshortening, angled position of bodies in the foreground.
 The large hill prevents a view into the far distance, containing
the scene.
 The mass of heads is used to construct depth.
 Flags – fluttering with the air add depth.
 The arch divides foreground and background.
 Tree used to depict midground.
 Scale used for retreating figures creating recession into the
space.
 God the Father with outstretched arms and the white theatrical
device, form the depth of the arch in the upper register.
 Empty foreground space adds depth in front of Ursula.
 Palm sheaf platform adds depth – how successful?
 Ursula’s iconographic depiction is fairly flat, but the
foreshortened putti dancing around successfully create depth
Viewing Action: Who had access to the chapel?
conditions

The artist’s St. Ursula is ingeniously elevated on a sheaf of palm leaves.

development /
innovations The individuality of each female face suggests many were portraits. A
sketch by Carpaccio demonstrates his development of two female heads
which are present in the scene, see above (identified by Sara Menato in
Humfrey, 2023, p.133). Scholarship has argued for recognition of the
closeness of these drawings by Carpaccio with drawings by artists
 following Raphael; Pietro Perugino and Pinturicchio. More recently
Menatoe has hypothesised that Carpaccio travelled along the Adriatic
side of Italy, suggesting a time when he may have encountered such art
and artists. The comparison provides evidence that as an artist
Carpaccio looked to other artists to develop his own skill set, here he
acknowledged, admired, and then appropriated pictorial techniques of
great quality which in turn heightened his own status as an artist (2016,
p.61-77).

Iconography Ursula appears mystically as an iconographic figure in a mandorla, an

almond shaped aureole, a radiance of luminous cloud. It is synonymous
with a vesica piscis, a type of lens, a mathematical shape formed by the
intersection of two disks, (a convex region bounded by two circular arcs
joined to each other at their end points. For this shape to be convex,
both arcs must bow outwards). Maybe link to Leonardo’s interest in
maths and shapes.

Here Carpaccio mixes the tradition of an iconographic figure with the

nascent preference for narrative altarpieces.

Evidence of Sara Menato outlines Carpaccio’s artistic process in Humfrey, 2023,

artistic process p.120.
 Sketches in pen and ink for compositional design; spatial
construction and individual scenes
 Studies of component parts, eg the heads of female figures.
These became part of workshop’s stock of design which may be
reused at a later date
 Finished drawing of the entire composition for approval
 Cartoons, perhaps the same as above but this time used to
transfer the design. Traces of spolvero were found on the
St.Ursula altarpiece.

Historical The Scuola di Sant'Orsola were a hagiological confraternity.

context Action: Find out more. Read their mariegola, statute book.

The Loredan family was celebrated for their bravery in the war with the
Ottoman Turks (Save Venice website). The Venetians considered
themselves defenders of Christianity against the infidels, the Ottoman
Turks belonged to this group. Whilst relative peace existed for many
years, relationships with the Ottoman Turks declined as their expansion
project increased. The retreating figures in the background wear a
distinct white turban wound around a red tāj’, this identifies the figures
in the altarpiece as Ottoman Turks. The foreboding presence of the
Ottoman Turk reflects Venice’s unstable relationship with the other
nation. Their relationship was in a state of constant flux, sometimes
trading partners, sometimes enemies at war. The presence of secular
concerns in the sacred image worked to provide an association between
the earthly and divine worlds.
 A further connection to contemporary life is found in theatrical imagery
that is evident throughout the St. Ursula cycle (Zorzi, 1988, p.30). Here
it is noticeable in the illusionistic opening at the top of the altarpiece, an
entrance for actors, dressed in angelic guise, to emerge from clouds of
cotton. Zorzi argues that the series captures an actual religious theatre
production, known as a sacre rappresentazioni. It seems likely that if
this is true, some of the original viewers may have witnessed the
performance.

Observe contemporary dress and hairstyles in what is essentially a fable

from the past.

Reception The church of SS. Giovani e Paolo featured many exquisite altarpieces.
See Humfrey 1988 for a discussion of the competition between
confraternities to possess the most admired altarpiece.

The cycle was greatly admired and mention by Marin Sanudo. Action:
Translate.

Giorgio Vasari – find

Bibliography
Comparison to Ferino Pagden, Sylvia., Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia: Disegni
followers of umbri. Milan, 1984, p.66
Raphael
Discussion on Humfrey, Peter., ‘Competitive Devotions: The Venetian Scuole Piccole
scuola piccolo as Donors of Altarpieces in the Years around 1500’, in The Art Bulletin,
Sep., 1988, Vol. 70, No. 3 (Sep., 1988), pp. 401-423
The drawing of Mcandrew, 1980, p.1-2, n8a
female heads
The drawing of Whistler et al, 2015, cat. 4, 68-69
female heads
Exhibition Humfrey, Peter,. Vittore Carpaccio: Master Storyteller of Renaissance
Venice, (Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2022)
Hypothesises Menato, Sara., Per la giovinnezza di Carpaccio. (Padua, 2016, p.61-77)
that Carpaccio
travelled around
Italy
Comparison to Zampetti, Piero., Vittore Carpaccio, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1963,
followers of p.292
Raphael
Connection to Zorzi, Ludovico., Carpaccio e la rappresentazione di
the narrative Sant’Orssola, (Torino, Giulio Einaudi, 1988)
cycle and
theatre
P. 176: In 1488 Gallo, Rodolfo., ‘La scuola di S. Orssola, I teleri del Carpaccio e la
the members tomba di Gentile e Giovanni Bellin’ Bollettino dei musei civici
donated veneziani 8, no. 2-3 (1963): 1-24.
additional funds
for the
commission of
the canvases. In
Humfrey 2023,
p.120, note 2
Cambridge Vio, Gastone. Le Scuole piccolo nella Venezia dei Dogi: Note
British Library d’archivio per la storia della confraternite vennneziane, Costabissara
St Andrews (Vicenza), 2004

For Carpaccio’s Menato, Sara ‘The Life of St. Ursula Cycle’ in Humfrey 2023
creative process
when creating
the St. Ursula
cycle