Look Beneath The Titian

If you are holidaying abroad, for example in Venice, it is so easy to be enthralled with all the paintings and architecture and perhaps miss some textile treasures close by. This is a detail from a very interesting tapestry which leans against an altar in Santa Maria Della Salute, right beneath a Titian and likely to be overlooked on account of this position. The lion, rabbit, resting hind and dog look oh so familiar, don't they?

On the other side of the tapestry is this wonderful depiction of daily life in what appears to be Venice-in-Constantinople, reminiscent of the orientalized Carpaccios in the Scuolo di San Georgio.

And here you can see the larger panels from which these details were extracted.

And below is the full panel - please forgive the reflections as this was taken daylight with out special lighting. What makes this panel ultra special is that it was made in Bruges in the 1500s after a painting by the Italian artist Mantegna - illustrating the artistic routes that existed between the pre-eminent and far flung trading duchies of the North and South Renaissance.