VENICE: Bellini to Titian
A display of Venetian paintings in the collection.
Room 29: Redisplaying Venetian paintings
This redisplay of Venetian Renaissance pictures in Room 29 celebrates the major refurbishment of this room, made possible through the generous support of the Wolfson Foundation.
You can find out about the paintings by following our themed tours listed below on the page. Take one or all.
Painting in Renaissance Venice
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Republic of Venice was one of the wealthiest and most culturally diverse city states in Europe.
Its merchant fleet dominated Mediterranean commerce and trade. Its influence spread from Northern Europe to the Turkish Ottoman Empire and beyond. Venice was ruled by an elite class of patricians rather than a hereditary court, which secured long-standing political stability to the region
The Republic’s cosmopolitan culture fostered astonishing creative activity. Situated on the water, the city of Venice was an environment of shimmering light and ever-shifting colours. This informed its painters who, with access to the best imported pigments, developed new means of applying and nuancing colour to render the effects of atmosphere and texture. They further benefitted from a wide variety of patrons, including the government, religious confraternities, and a learned aristocracy.
From Bellini and Mantegna to Bassano and Titian, explore the development of painting in 'La Serenissima' through the Gallery’s exceptional collection of Venetian paintings.
Take the tours of Room 29
Depicting Women in Venetian Painting
From Madonnas and ‘belle donne’ to classical heroines and biblical saints, images of women proliferated in Renaissance Venice.
The Venetian landscape
Pioneering the life-like rendition of landscape in European art.
Artists travelling to Venice
Renaissance Venice was a magnet for artists from across Italy and beyond. Why did painters travel to the city?
British Sign Language tours
Watch an introduction to painting in Renaissance Venice and the themed tours of Room 29 in British Sign Language.
A poet’s response to Titian’s 'Diana and Callisto'
Watch ‘For Phillip II, King of Spain’ performed by Maz Hedgehog.
All paintings in Room 29
