Two Venetian Ladies

Vittore Carpaccio's Two Venetian Ladies, painted around 1490 and now in the Museo Correr, Venice, is one of the most intriguing paintings of the Venetian Renaissance. The two richly dressed women seated on a terrace with dogs, birds, and a vase of flowers were long called "The Courtesans," but are now believed to be respectable Venetian noblewomen waiting for their husbands to return from hunting. The painting may originally have been joined to a hunting scene in the Getty Museum.

Carpaccio renders the opulent Venetian costumes, pearl-draped bodices, and luxurious accessories with meticulous precision, using rich color and detailed still-life elements to create a vivid document of patrician Venetian life.