The Lion of St Mark (detail)

Behind the symbol of St Mark, portrayed in splendid and triumphant isolation, Carpaccio has given us a view of some of the places where the fortunes of the Serenissima had prospered and grown for more than five centuries. In this extraordinary wide-angled view the artist gives us a perfectly detailed depiction of the basin of St Mark’s towards San Nicolo di Lido, all the way to the heart of Venice: the Doges’ Palace, St Mark’s Basilica, the columns of St Theodore and St Mark, the Piazzetta, the bell-tower and the Clock Tower.