Instead of a simple Saturday father-son handyman project, sculptor Pietro Lombardo and his sons had something more ambitious in mind: a high-Renaissance polychrome marble facade for the most important confraternity in Venice. Mauro Codussi was brought in to put the finishing touches on this gem. Magnificent lions of St Mark prowl above the portals, while sculpted trompe l’œil perspectives beguile the eye. The scuola now serves as the main entrance to the Ospedale Civile, the city’s public hospital.
