AUTHOR: Antonio Vivarini, Giovanni d’Alemagna
CENTURY: 15th century
CHURCH: Church of San Zaccaria
DATE: 1443
LOCATION: Chapel of San Tarasio (on map no. 13)
TECHNIQUE: Mixed media on panel
As indicated in an inscription, the polyptych constitutes the altarpiece decoration that housed the relics of Saint Sabina. The elegant figure of the saint reveals a timid plastic relief softened by the sumptuous decoration of the brocade gold mantle. The two saints on her sides, Jerome and Lizerio, rest on a base that shows an attempt at spatial perspective rendering. In the upper register, the saints Margaret, piercing the dragon with the cross, and Agatha are depicted; between them, an angel holds a scroll with the inscription “Hic Sanguis Christi” (Here is the Blood of Christ). The first saint embodies a direct reference to the abbess Margaret Donato, who, together with Sister Agnesina Giustinian, financed the polyptych.
