Save Venice is seeking a sponsor for the conservation of 12 Wall Paintings on the Second Floor of the Scuola Dalmata dei Santi Giorgio e Trifone | Partial Sponsorship Available.

*Published sponsorship costs are subject to change due to conservation plan modifications and fluctuations in exchange rates.

Please contact kim@savevenice.org today for more information and the latest cost estimates.

The Scuola Dalmata dei Santi Giorgio e Trifone (also known as the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni) was founded on May 19, 1451, by the so-called Schiavoni, the Dalmatian community residing in Venice. Just ten days later, on May 30, the confraternity moved into the 14th-century Oratory of Saint Catherine, a building owned by the Priory of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The newly formed Scuola converted the ground floor into a chapel, centered around an altar dedicated to Saint George. Most notably, they commissioned a narrative painting cycle from Vittore Carpaccio, which, remarkably, still remains in place over five hundred years later (currently being restored by Save Venice).

In 1551, to mark the centennial of the Scuola’s founding, the Guardian Grande, Giovanni da Lissa, initiated an ambitious campaign to renovate the building. Oversight of the project was entrusted to Giovanni de Zon, chief architect of the Venetian Arsenal, who reconfigured the interior and redesigned the façade in an elaborate style inspired by Jacopo Sansovino (restored by Save Venice in 2001-2004 and 2024).

Nearly a century later, on November 3, 1564, the then Guardian Grande, Giovanni Tintore, proposed the construction of a ceiling for the upper hall, along with wooden benches lining its perimeter. Two months later, on January 20, 1565, the Scuola resolved to borrow 200 ducats to finance the project—a loan that was fully repaid by 1570. A relief set into the frieze on the left wall, dated March 15, 1586, commemorates the completion of these renovations under the guardianship of Vettor Tromba.

Among the principal features of the room are twelve large canvas paintings positioned along the upper perimeter of the walls, executed by various 17th-century artists, including notable figures such as Marco Vecellio, Andrea Vicentino called Aliense, and Joseph Heintz the Younger. Dating to the early decades of the 1600s, these works were likely commissioned by members of the Scuola Dalmata—most plausibly by successive Guardiani Grandi, the elected leaders of the confraternity. Each painting prominently features portraits of Scuola members accompanied by symbolic references to their cities of origin, such as Zadar and the island of Rab, or by episodes from the lives of their patron saints. In other instances, the portraits are juxtaposed with key moments from the history of salvation, including scenes such as the Annunciation and the Crucifixion.

Two additional panel paintings, executed on wood, date to an earlier period, likely the late 15th century. Currently attributed to an unknown artist form the workshop of the renowned Murano painter Antonio Vivarini, these works originally adorned the high altar on the ground floor.

All of the paintings are obscured by thick layers of aged, discolored varnish and adhesive residues from previous conservation treatments, along with accumulated dust, grime, and altered inpainting. These surface coatings have significantly dulled the original colors and details. Several of the canvases have also become weakened and brittle over time, requiring relining to restore structural stability and support. Others will need targeted consolidation where the fabric has begun to detach from its stretcher or show signs of tension failure. Additional conservation issues include damage from water infiltration, surface abrasions, areas of paint loss, and active flaking—all of which pose risks to the long-term preservation of the works.

Gaspar Rem (1542-1616) [attr.]
Saints Jerome, George, and Tryphon
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Cretan Painter (17th century) [attr.]
Martyrdom of a Saint Tryphon and the Portrait of Guardian Grande Mondo di Battista
1609, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Antonio Vassilacchi, called Aliense (1556/57-1629) [attr.]
The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew, and the Portrait of a Scuola Member
1607, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Marco Vecellio (1545-1611) [attr.]
Madonna and Child with Saints George and Tryphon
1607, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

School of Titian (17th century) [attr.]
Crucifixion, Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle,  the Portrait of a Scuola Member, and the City of Zadar
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Marco Vecellio (1545-1611) [attr.]
Madonna and Child with Saint Christopher, the City of Rab, and the Portrait of Guardian Grande Nicolò de Dominis de Arbe
1606, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

School of Jacopo Palma Giovane (17th century) [attr.]
Madonna and Child with Saint Sebastian, Saint Roch, and the Portrait of Giorgio Pallavicino
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Unidentified Painter (17th century)
Madonna and Child with Saint Francis, Saint Anthony of Padua, and the Portrait of Two Scuola Members
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Joseph Heintz the Younger (1600-1678) [attr.]
Christ, God the Father, and Madonna in Heaven among Saints with the Portrait of a Scuola Member and Naval Battle
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Unidentified Painter (17th century)
Holy Trinity with Saints and the Portrait of Four Scuola Members
1642-45, oil on canvas
100 x 252 cm

Unidentified Painter (17th century)
Annunciation and Two Scuola Members
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 97 cm

Unidentified Painter (17th century)
Madonna of the Rosary and the Portrait of Two Scuola Members
17th century, oil on canvas
100 x 97 cm

Circle of Antonio Vivarini (15th century) [attr.]
Saint Jerome
late 15th century, tempera on panel
147 x 27 cm

Circle of Antonio Vivarini (15th century) [attr.]
Saint Tryphon
late 15th century, tempera on panel
147 x 27 cm

Perocco, Guido. Carpaccio nella Scuola di S. Giorgio degli Schiavoni. Venice: Ferdinando Ongania Editore, 1964

Rizzi, Alberto. Scritti di arte sulla Dalmazia. Venice: Scuola dalmata dei SS. Giorgio e Trifone, 2016

Trška, Tanja. Venetian Painters and Dalmatian Patrons: Minor Masters in the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni between Collective and Individual. In Capriotti, Giuseppe, Francesca Coltrinari and Jasenka Gudelj (eds.), Visualizing Past in a Foreign Country: Schiavoni/Illyrian Confraternities and Colleges in Early Modern Italy in comparative perspective (IL CAPITALE CULTURALE Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage Supplementi 07 / 2018), pp. 45-55. Link to the article