Giuseppe Salviati, 'Justice', about 1559

Justice sits between two lions and looks down at her golden scales. The lion of Saint Mark is a symbol of Venice, so she may represent Justice in that city. Her scales weigh right from wrong and her sword punishes the guilty. Beside her, a golden shield is painted with the coat of arms of the Contarini del Zaffo, an important Venetian family.

The painting is likely to have been made for a public building in Venice or the Veneto for which the Contarini family had some responsibility. It may have been painted for the Venetian mint, the building in which the Venetian currency was struck and regulated. Tommaso Contarini was Superintendent (Provveditore) of the mint from 1542, when Salviati was in Venice.

Its arched form indicates that it originally filled a semicircular architectural space, called a lunette. It was intended to be displayed high up, perhaps hung above a door, or to fill some similar space. Additional painted canvas has been added to all sides except the lower edge, and it is likely that the crescent moons and the lion on the left were not included in the original painting.

The figure of Justice is designed to be seen from below. The artist has achieved this effect by adjusting her proportions, using a technique known as foreshortening. Giuseppe Salviati would have been practised at this technique from his experience in the decoration of ceilings and the outside walls of palaces.

The varnish, perhaps always tinted, has now darkened and discoloured, obscuring many of the original colours. The sky was probably painted with the pigment smalt, which has since turned brown. The dark lines in the sky behind Justice are part of the underdrawing, now visible through the paint which has become translucent over time. The underdrawing was made with a brush and dark paint. It is possible to see that Justice’s left arm was originally raised, holding up the scales. The new lower position of her arm continues the elegant spiral pattern created by her floating veil, shoulder strap and folds of her gown, which draw our eyes, like Justice’s own, to her golden scales.