St. Mark heals Anianus

Giovanni di Niccolò Mansueti painted this Saint Mark Heals Anianus around 1518, depicting the apocryphal episode in which the evangelist Mark healed the cobbler Anianus—who would become first Bishop of Alexandria—after the man accidentally pierced his hand with an awl. Mansueti was a Venetian painter and probable pupil of Gentile Bellini who specialized in narrative cycles depicting episodes from the lives of saints, particularly the history of Saint Mark whose relics were Venice's most precious possession. His narrative paintings are remarkable for their detailed depictions of Venetian street life, architecture, and costume, making them valuable documents of early sixteenth-century Venice as well as sacred histories. The healing narrative allowed him to depict a crowd of Alexandrian witnesses within an architecturally elaborate setting.

The panel shows Mansueti's characteristic narrative style with detailed architectural settings, numerous figures, and the documentary precision typical of Venetian scuola painting.