Hunting on the Lagoon

Vittore Carpaccio completed this scene of Venetian bird hunting between 1490 and 1495. Seven shallow-bottomed boats float across a glassy lagoon, their crews hunting cormorants with an unusual method. Archers use clay pellets rather than arrows to stun the birds without damaging their valuable plumage. A pellet caught mid-flight reveals the moment of action.

This panel has a notable history. Recent examination proved it was once part of a larger work, now split between two museums. "Hunting on the Lagoon" connected to "Two Venetian Ladies," currently at the Correr Museum in Venice. The wood grain matches perfectly, and an empty flower stem in the Venice panel aligns with a blossom in the Getty's piece. The hinges on the Getty panel suggest it once served as a decorative shutter or cabinet door.

The reverse features a trompe-l'oeil letter rack, likely the earliest small-scale example since antiquity. This Renaissance treasure resides at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where visitors can examine both sides of this double-sided masterwork.