t
Venzone--a naked youth astride of a sea-monster, said to typify the
control of the bodily appetites by the reason. The other sides are much
damaged.

The other important church is that of S. Francesco, which has a good
early Renaissance doorway and a cloister, some seventeenth-century
carved chairs, several Venetian pictures, and an early altar-piece. On
the facade a curious inscription is set in the wall, which states that
the church was dedicated on S. Mark's Eve, 1344, and that seven altars
were then consecrated by seven bishops--nine being mentioned,
however--Justinoplensis (Capodistria), Enonensis (Cittanova),
Parentinus, Polensis, Petenesinus (Pisino), Capiolensis, Evelinensis
(Buie), Domatensis, Soaralensis. The lion of the church is, however, the
fine Carpaccio in the chapel to the left at the bottom of the nave,
dated 1518, and signed "Victoris Charpatii Veneti opus," considered by
some his best work. It represents the Virgin seated, and holding the
Child to her breast. He has two cherries in His left hand; to His right
are three saints --S. Francis with a cross, S. George, and S. Louis of
Toulouse; to the left, S. Anthony, Santa Chiara, and S. Louis of France.
At the feet of the Virgin are two angels with lute and violin on each
side of a pot of lilies; a pillared hall, with a view of Pirano in the
distance, forms the background. The chapel has pilasters with very
beautiful arabesques. The design of the architecture and of the picture
agrees perfectly, and it is evident that it was intended that the
painted architecture should continue the effect of perspective, which
commences with the reality of carved and built-up marble.

In the office of the salt-works is a picture by Carpaccio's son
Benedetto, signed and dated 1541, which came from S. Lucia di Val di
Fasano. It shows the Virgin seated with the Child in a little shirt, in
the act of blessing. On the left is S. Lucy, on the right S. George
standing, with their heads on the same level as the Virgin, and
therefore on a smaller scale. The throne has a very shallow step. The
figure of S. George is a repetition of that by Benedetto's father in S.
Francesco.

In the Piazza Tartini, near a fourteenth-century house of Venetian
Gothic, once the palace of the family of del Bello, is a modern statue
of Tartini the violinist (1692-1770), who here commenced the study of
music, which led him to extraordinary executive triumphs and the
production of the celebrated