The presence of the seal of the Carrara family on some buildings in this painting indicates that the domed building may be Padua's Carmine rather than the Dome of the Rock as often supposed.
The presence of the seal of the Carrara family on some buildings in this painting indicates that the domed building may be Padua's Carmine rather than the Dome of the Rock as often supposed. When this painting was exhibited in the Palazzo Manfrin in the 19th century, it was mistakenly labeled as the artist's "family," to the point that a sculpture of the artist was made based on one of the characters in it. Though it is not a portrait, this painting was commissioned by Gabriele Vendramin, who was later painted with his family by a former assistant of this painting's artist. Salvatore Settis argues that it depicts a recently exiled (*) Adam and Eve with the infant Cain in his book on "interpreting the hidden subject" of this painting, which claims that the deserted city represents paradise. X-rays reveal that a nude woman bathing originally occupied the place where a clothed man leans on a stick. On the right, a woman in an awkward seating position suckles a baby, while in the background a single lightning bolt cuts through the sky. For 10 points, name this Giorgione painting depicting a coming storm.
The presence of the seal of the Carrara family on some buildings in this painting indicates that the domed building may be Padua's Carmine rather than the Dome of the Rock as often supposed.
The Tempest [or La Tempesta]