The Presentation of the Ring
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Oil on canvas, 370 by 301 centimetres (145.7 in × 118.5 in). Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.
The Fisherman Presenting the Ring to Doge Gradenigo is a 1534 oil-on-canvas painting by the Venetian Renaissance painter
The legend states that one night, while the gondolier was sleeping in his gondola, waiting for custom along the canal of S. Giorgio Maggiore, three mysterious individuals jumped into his boat and bade him to take them to the
The battle lasted for a long time. New demons succeeded the others however; the victory remained with the personages in the boat, who were taken back to the landing of the Piazzetta. The gondolier scarcely knew what to think of their strange conduct; until, as they were about to separate, the oldest of the group, suddenly causing his nimbus to shine out again, said to the gondolier:
- "I am Saint Theodore. I have borrowed thy boat; now, as all trouble merits reward, and as thou hast passed a boisterous night, here is my ring; carry it to the Doge and tell him what thou hast seen. He will fill thy cap with golden sequins."
The Saint resumed his position on the top of the porch of
The gondolier, rather astonished, would have believed that he had been dreaming after drinking several glasses of the wine of Samos, if the large and heavy golden ring studded with precious stones which he held in his hand had not prevented his doubting the reality of the events of the night.
Therefore, he went to find the Doge, who was presiding over the Senate. Respectfully kneeling before him, he related the story of the battle between the devils and the patron saints of Venice. At first the story seemed incredible; but the return of the ring, which was that of Saint Mark, and the absence of which from the church treasury was established, proved the gondolier's veracity. This ring was locked under triple keys in a carefully guarded treasury, the bolts of which showed no trace of disturbance and could only have been removed by supernatural means. They filled the gondolier's cap with gold and celebrated a mass of thanksgiving for the peril they had escaped. This did not prevent the Venetians from continuing their dissolute course of life, from spending their nights in the haunts of play; at gay suppers, in love-making, in masking for intrigues, and in prolonging the long orgy of their carnival for six months in the year. The Venetians counted upon the protection of Saint Mark to go to paradise, and they took no other care of their salvation. That was Saint Mark's affair; they had built him a fine church for that, and the Saint was still under obligations to them.[2]
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Media related to Presentation of the Ring to the Doges of Venice by Paris Bordone at Wikimedia Commons