Room 10

Silk, flesh and dark cloth give you different things to look for here. Venetian painters used colour and the handling of oil paint to make those surfaces convincing. Titian could suggest an expensive textile while also giving a sitter a distinct presence. The room includes Tintoretto’s The Origin of the Milky Way and Veronese’s The Family of Darius before Alexander. Compare their use of movement with the more formal gathering in Titian’s The Vendramin Family. Venice’s artists painted for a wealthy trading city and its mainland neighbours. Their patrons wanted religious stories, memorable likenesses and pictures that made the cost of fine materials visible.