Save Venice is seeking sponsors for the conservation of the Wooden Ceiling and Ceiling 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.

Founded on May 19, 1451, the Scuola Dalmata dei Santi Giorgio e Trifone—better known as the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni—was established by the Dalmatian (or “Schiavoni”) community living in Venice. A century after its founding, the Scuola marked a major milestone with an ambitious transformation. In 1551, the Guardian Grande, Giovanni da Lissa, launched a sweeping renovation campaign that would reshape both the building and its identity. The project was entrusted to Giovanni de Zon, chief architect of the Venetian Arsenal, who reimagined the interior and gave the façade a richly decorative character inspired by Jacopo Sansovino (restored by Save Venice in 2001–2004 and again in 2024).

The momentum continued into the next decade. In November 1564, Guardian Grande Giovanni Tintore proposed enhancing the upper hall with a new ceiling and continuous wooden benches along its walls—an intervention that would shape the space’s ceremonial function. The completion of these renovations was later immortalized in stone. A relief set into the frieze on the left wall, dated March 15, 1586, commemorates the finished project under the guardianship of Vettor Tromba, leaving a lasting record of a century defined by renewal and artistic ambition.

The crowning glory of the Scuola’s upper floor is its magnificent ceiling—a richly articulated wooden framework, painted and gilded in 1604 by Zuane de Bastian. Within this vibrant architectural setting unfolds a cycle of nine canvases by Andrea Vicentino, one of the leading artists of 17th-century Venice, whose work transforms the ceiling into a vision of celestial drama.

At the center, the largest canvas presents Saint George ascending triumphantly into heaven, borne upward by a host of cherubic angels. Around him, they carry the emblems of his legendary victory: the broken spear with which he struck down the dragon, an elaborately crested helmet, his long saber, and a great shield slung across his body—trophies that transform the scene into both triumph and apotheosis. He is flanked by Saint Tryphon on the left—firmly grounded, his gaze lifted toward the ascending saint—and Saint Jerome on the right, who looks upward in contemplation of a vision of the Crucifix. Together, they complete the sacred triad of the Scuola’s patron saints, bridging earth and heaven through their differing yet unified responses to the divine.

Above, God the Father receives Saint George into the celestial realm, while opposite, the Virgin and Child extend their blessing. The composition thus unfolds along a powerful vertical axis, drawing the viewer’s eye upward in a continuous movement from earthly struggle to heavenly glory.

The nine ceiling paintings are in urgent need of conservation, as they are obscured by a thick layer of brown, oxidized varnish and discolored inpainting from earlier restorations, both of which significantly diminish the vibrancy of the original colors. More critically, the painted surfaces exhibit signs of water damage, scratches, and active areas of lifting and flaking, putting the artworks at risk of further deterioration. To address these issues, the canvases will be removed from the ceiling and restored on-site at the Scuola, following the conservation of the wooden ceiling structure.

The gilded and polychrome wooden ceiling will first undergo disinfestation to eradicate wood-boring insects. This will be followed by a comprehensive conservation treatment to address structural instability, repair cracks, and reintegrate areas of lost gilding and polychromy.

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint George
1604-05, oil on canvas
400 x 365 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint Tryphon
1604-05, oil on canvas
281 x 116 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint Jerome
1604-05, oil on canvas
282 x 116 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Madonna and Child
1604-05, oil on canvas
244 x 115 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
God the Father
1604-05, oil on canvas
244 x 115 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint Matthew the Evangelist
1604-05, oil on canvas
210 x 184 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint Mark the Evangelist
1604-05, oil on canvas
210 x 184 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint Luke the Evangelist
1604-05, oil on canvas
210 x 184 cm

Andrea Michieli, called Vicentino (c. 1542–1617) [attr.]
Saint John the Evangelist
1604-05, oil on canvas
210 x 184 cm

Zuane de Bastian (active c. 16th-17th century)
Wooden Framework
16th century, carved wood with gilding and polychrome decoration in tempera
148 square meters

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