Legend of Saint Ursula
| Arrival of the Ambassadors | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 378 cm × 589 cm (149 in × 232 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| Departure of the Ambassadors | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 281 cm × 252 cm (111 in × 99 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| Return of the Ambassadors | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 297 cm × 527 cm (117 in × 207 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| The Meeting of Ursula and the Prince | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 279 cm × 610 cm (110 in × 240 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| The Saint's Dream | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 273 cm × 267 cm (107 in × 105 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| The Meeting of the Pilgrims with the Pope | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 279 cm × 305 cm (110 in × 120 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| Arrival of the Pilgrims at Cologne | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1490 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 279 cm × 254 cm (110 in × 100 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
| The Martyrdom and the Funeral of St. Ursula | |
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| Artist | Vittore Carpaccio |
| Year | 1497–1498 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 268 cm × 520 cm (106 in × 200 in) |
| Location | Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
The Legend of Saint Ursula (Italian: Storie di sant'Orsola) is a series of large wall-paintings on canvas by the Italian Renaissance artist Vittore Carpaccio, originally created for the Scuola di Sant'Orsola (Ursula) in Venice. They are now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice.
The paintings were commissioned by the Loredan family, who had the Scuola of St. Ursula under their patronage and who had been distinguished for their military deeds against the "infidel" Ottomans, which are repeatedly echoed in the panels of the cycle. This was not one of the six Scuole Grandi of Venice, but a similar confraternity.
According to Jacopo da Varagine's Golden Legend, Saint Ursula was the daughter of the Christian king of Brittany, who was betrothed to a pagan prince in exchange to his conversion to Christianity and they both made a pilgrimage to Rome. On her way back home, at Cologne, she was martyred by Attila, King of the Huns, together with her following of 10,000 virgins, after she had refused to become his wife.
The first two paintings, despite depicting the first events of the cycle, were the last to be painted, in 1497-1498.
The first painting is set in an open pavilion, and its scene, divided into three parts, is read from right to left. The scene is reminiscent of the liturgical drama of the period, where all the characters sat on the stage and stood up when they had to take part in the play. On the right Ursula and her father are portrayed talking; sitting on the first step of a staircase leading to the interior is her nurse.
The central scene portrays the meeting between the king and the ambassadors. In the background is a centrally planned temple and other imaginary buildings, resembling those of contemporary Venice. On the left, in the foreground under a loggia, is a marine panorama with a galleon. Outside the proscenium is a man wearing a red toga, a hint at the didascalos, a narrator figure of the Renaissance theatre who described or commented on the play to the audience, usually in the person of an angel. Among the spectators are characters wearing the crest of the Compagnia della Calza, a Venetian confraternity which organized events and spectacles during Carnival and other religious celebrations.
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