Virgin Being Worshipped by Members of the Cavalli Family

Before his stay in Padua, the Veronese painter Altichiero painted frescoes in Verona, including the votive fresco of the Cavalli family in Sant’Anastasia.

Partially ruined by the insertion of a canopied tomb in about 1390, the fresco is the collective votive offering of the Cavalli family from Verona. The men of the family, in armor, are before the Virgin. The family’s patron saints accompany the faithful and their nonchalant movements contrast wonderfully with the stiff votive posture of the kneeling knights. The setting is also splendid, showing an imaginary fourteenth-century palace complete with galleries and pavilions.