ABSTRACT
Material presented in the present study supports the interpretation that a large number of patrons of art works in the church of the Frari that date to the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth centuries shared a set of financial and governance goals that they publicized through patronage and sought to advance through governmental office. These goals involved, on the one hand, defense of remaining Venetian Mediterranean commerce and empire from the advancing Turks and, on the other, the cultivation of involvement with the Venetian mainland dominion, with other Italian states, and with the empire. In addition, the two theatrical works may be read metaphorically as advancing the views of his Venetian patrician supporters on the best ways of dealing with Venice's precarious position in the face of threats from numerous stronger outside powers: their own hinterland and seeking peace in the international arena.
