Conquest of Zara
by TINTORETTO, Oil on canvas
The Sala dello Scrutinio (Voting Hall) is the second-largest hall of the Doge’s Palace. The balloting and secret votes of the magistracies and the doge took place in this hall with a complicated system. The Venetian Republic had created it to avoid intrigues and subterfuge during the elections and to ensure that vote could not be bought from the poor nobility in favour of its richer equivalent..
The iconographic theme of the hall of the Sala dello Scrutinio was inspired by the battle in which Venice conquered Zara. The town was defended by local Zara citizens, helped by Louis I Angevin (Louis the Great), King of Croatia and Hungary. However, lacking sufficient military support from Louis, Zadar surrendered to the Venetians on 21 December 1346.