Paradiso

Paradiso (1577), in the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, is a modello (preparatory composition) for the enormous painting intended to replace Guariento di Arpo's damaged fresco on the east wall of the Great Council Hall in the Doge's Palace. Veronese won the commission in 1577 following the devastating fire that destroyed much of the palace's decoration, but he died in 1588 before executing the final version, which was ultimately painted by Tintoretto. This oil sketch reveals Veronese's conception of Paradise as a radiant celestial assembly centered on the coronation of the Virgin, with concentric rings of saints, angels, and the blessed ascending toward the divine light. The modello is a crucial document of Veronese's most ambitious unrealized project.

The sketch reveals Veronese's compositional process for a monumental work, with broadly placed figures organized in concentric heavenly tiers. The luminous palette and fluid brushwork demonstrate the rapid, confident execution of a preparatory oil study.