Titian's large panel painting of the Pietà, now housed at the Accademia in Venice, was completed by Palma il Giovane after the master's death in 1576, a fact he confirmed with an inscription on the painting itself.

Was Palma il Giovane a pupil of the famous Titian Vercellio, who dominated the Venetian art scene for decades?

A glance at the index of Venetian painters and their works in Venice at least shows that no other artist has as many works to be found in the lagoon city.

However, as is so often the case, quantity is no guarantee of quality. Palma was an excellent manager and, with his extremely busy workshop, he succeeded in meeting the demands of the large Venetian art market at a time when, toward the end of the 16th century, the giants Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto had passed away.

Almost every Venetian church therefore has paintings of him, but only very rarely are they worth looking at.

The panels in the small oratory of the Crociferi monks (Cannareggio, across from the Jesuit Church, Fri./Sat. 3:30–6:00 p.m., closed in July and August), however, are definitely an exception; here, Palma depicts wonderfully realistic scenes from the history of the order in magnificent colors across eight panels.

The Church of San Giacomo dell'Orio in Santa Croce (Mon.–Sat. 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) is also worth a visit; for this church, Palma created one of - if not the most significant - cycles of the Counter-Reformation in Venice.

In other words: that very Palma il Giovane, who more or less styled himself as a pupil of Titian, indisputably possessed great artistic talent - unfortunately, he sacrificed it to the sheer volume of commissions and thus squandered it?