The San Giacomo dell'Orio Altarpiece (or Madonna and Four Saints) is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto

Lorenzo Lotto

Lorenzo Lotto was a Northern Italian painter draughtsman and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school. He painted mainly altarpieces, religious subjects and portraits...

, dating from 1546 and housed in the church of San Giacomo dell'Orio in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

. It is signed and dated on the cartouche

Cartouche

In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...

 hanging at the throne's base, reading "In tempo de Maistro Defendi de Federigo et compagni 1546 Lor. Lot". The canvas is one of the last works executed by Lotto in Venice, before moving to the Marche

Marche

The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...

.

Description

The inscription explains that the work was commissioned by brotherhood in Venice that organized popular devotion. It is a typical Holy conversation composition, with the Madonna on a high throne in front of a green drapery, surrounded by a group of saints. They are, at the sides, Cosmas and Damian, and James, son of Zebedee and Andrew the Apostle. Two angels hold a crown above Mary.