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.

DONORS

Ex-Voto with Madonna and Child, Saint Sebastian, Saint Roch, the Portrait of Giorgio Pallavicino di Perasto, and the City of Perast painting sponsored by Patricia Fortini Brown
Saints Jerome, George, and Tryphon painting and candle holders, metal wall lamps, and bronze bas reliefs sponsored by the Associazione “Savio Benefator”
Giacomo Moranzon’s Saint George Fighting the Dragon and Wooden Altarpiece sponsored by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice
The 16th-century pastelon pavement sponsored by The Versailles Foundation, Inc. / Claude Monet-Giverny
Circle of Antonio Vivarini’s Saint George and Saint Tryphon sponsored by Valentina Piovan in Memory of Valter Piovan through the Fondazione Save Venice – ETS

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 (and 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 marble 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.

The highlight of the Scuola’s upper floor is its magnificent ceiling, characterized by a wooden framework, painted and gilded by Zuanne de Bastian in 1604. Set within this architectural polychrome structure are nine canvases attributed to Andrea Michieli, known as Vicentino, one of the most prominent painters of 17th-century Venice. At the center, the largest canvas depicts Saint George’s triumphant ascent into heaven. Standing upon billowing clouds, he is encircled by cherubic angels bearing the emblems of his legendary victory—the spear that felled the dragon, the sword that delivered the final blow, and his shield and helmet. Flanking Saint George are Saint Tryphon to the left and Saint Jerome to the right, completing the sacred triad of the Scuola’s patron saints. Above, God the Father welcomes the saint into the divine realm, while opposite, the Virgin and Child extend their celestial blessing. The composition is further animated by the presence of the Four Evangelists, each positioned in a corner, absorbed in their sacred texts.

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