Retable de Serravalle

In the 1540s the little town of Serravalle, up in the hills north of Venice, wanted a grand altarpiece. The council first hired a local painter, then thought better of it and went after the most famous artist in the region, Titian. He took the job around 1542 and had the picture largely done by about 1547, though the town was so slow and grudging with the final payment that delivery dragged on and the quarrels over money ran for years afterward. He gave them a Madonna and Child enthroned in glory above two saints, Andrew clasping the great cross he was martyred on and Peter holding his keys. Behind them Titian set the miraculous catch of fish, the moment those two fishermen were called to follow Christ.