Portrait of Sebastiano Venier with a Page

1580 · Private collection

portrait

Sebastiano Venier (1496-1578), descendant of one of the old patrician families of Venice, was captain-general of the Venetian fleet at the naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571. This battle resulted in a decisive victory of the allied fleets of Spain, Venice and the Holy See over the Turkish forces. The Battle of Lepanto is illustrated in the background of the portrait.