Musea

Scene

The Virgin Mary and Christ Child are enthroned high on a stepped platform on the right side of the canvas. Two colossal columns rise behind the throne into the clouds, while Jacopo Pesaro kneels in armor at the lower left and other family members kneel at the lower right.

Figures

The painting includes the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, Saint Peter, Saint Francis, and members of the Pesaro family. Jacopo Pesaro is the kneeling commander in armor, accompanied by a captured Turkish prisoner.

Symbolism

The large key on the steps identifies Saint Peter, while the stigmata identify Saint Francis. A cross held by putti above connects the infancy of Christ with his future Passion, and the steps suggest Mary as a stairway to heaven.

Craft

Titian used a lateral vanishing point to the left of the canvas, aligning the perspective with the oblique viewing angle of the church nave.

Impact

The work is recognized as a key step toward the complex spatial strategies of the Baroque and remains a canonical example of Venetian Renaissance painting.