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Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) rose to fame in Venice from 1520, then throughout Italy and Europe. Tintoretto (Jacopo Comin, aka Jacopo Robusti) was born in Venice around 1518, he loved all the arts and as a youth played the lute. Thirty years stood between him and Titian, who was his master for a while. Yet a mutual disliking seemed to take a firm hold between them, and a ‘bitter rivalry’ over commissions appeared as attempts to outdo or thwart the other man. Veronese, Titian’s protégé, apparently became a pawn in this rivalry and received a large number of commissions, thereby overshadowing Tintoretto.

Eventually, however, Tintoretto became one the most acclaimed Venetian artists. His final major work was, ‘Paradise’, for the Grand Council chamber of the Doge’s Palace, completed in 1592. Initially, Veronese had been given the commission but died before work began thus Tintoretto received the commission in 1588. At approximately 74 x 30 ft., the vast  ‘Il Paradiso’ is one of the world’s largest paintings on canvas.