The Venetians Defend Themselves against the Siege of Pippin, ca. 1579 – 1580

About the Work

The drawing is one of a series of studies for a painting by Palma originally in the Sala dello Scrutinio in the Doge’s Palace. The latter, in turn, was part of a cycle depicting Venice’s successful wars and battles. Here we see a scene of the year 809, when Pippin, the king of Franconia, attacked and besieged the town. The Venetians resorted to a ruse: They bombarded the enemy’s army with loaves of bread to make him think the city had abundant stores of food and a siege was accordingly doomed to failure. The Franconians fell for the trick and ceased the blockade; Venice remained a free city.