Vittore Carpaccio: The Sermon of Saint Stephen (1514)

(Louvre, Paris, France)

A painting by the Italian artist Vittore Carpaccio (1465 – 1525/1526). This painting is one of five scenes dedicated to the life of Protomartyr Saint Stephen for the Scuola dei Lanieri, a craft- and devotional school, in Venice. This painting shows the sermon of Saint Stephen the deacon in Jerusalem although Carpaccio shows a city full with Turkish, antique, Byzantine and Italian elements and people. The sermon took place within the walls of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and the saint is shown standing on an ancient pedestal (the 'victory over paganism') with him pointing his finger skyward,inviting his audience to contemplate God. Painting from 1514.