Jacopo Tintoretto dominated venetian painting during the second half of the sixteenth century through a unique combination of talent, ambition, energy, and imagination. Described by his contemporary Giorgio Vasari as “the most extraordinary brain that painting has ever produced,” Tintoretto was a bold innovator who astounded and sometimes outraged his peers. Unlike other great painters of renaissance venice, Tintoretto was born in the city and worked there for his entire career. More than any other artist he left his mark in Venice. His paintings are still found in every one of its neighborhoods: in museums and as part of the decorative cycles in public buildings such as the Scuola grande di San Rocco, the Palazzo Ducale, and the Marciana Library, and serving as altarpieces or chapel decorations in Venetian churches.

Presented in honor of the 500th anniversary of the birth of this native son, this is a cataloque of all his important paintings on public view in the city of Venice. Divided by sections corresponding to the Venetian Sestieri, or districts, the volume covers over 120 paintings, including many that have recently received conservation treatment. Entries written by an international team of art historians provide up-to-date information on each picture, covering issues of style, patronage, dating, iconography, conservation, and relation to Tintoretto's ouevre as a whole. Beautifully illustrated, the guide will delight visitors to Venice and armchair travelers alike.