During the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Venetians lined their government council chambers and religious fraternities with narrative paintings of pageantry, diplomacy, and pious legend. These works—which include Carpaccio's pictorial stories about St. Ursula, St. George, and St. Jerome, as well as Bellini's panoramic recordings of the urban scene—have often been discussed, but in isolation from their social context and from each other. This richly illustrated book is the first to examine them all together.