Sala delle Quattro Porte

This room was the formal antechamber to the more important rooms in the palace, and the doors which give it its name are ornately framed in precious eastern marbles; each is surmounted by an allegorical sculptural group that refers to the virtues which should inspire those who took on the government responsibilities. The present decor is a work by Antonio da Ponte and design by Andrea Palladio and Antonio Rusconi. The coffered ceiling — with stucco decoration by Giovanni Cambi, known as Il Bombarda — contains frescoes of mythological subjects and of the cities and regions under Venetian dominion. Painted by Jacopo Tintoretto following designs by Francesco Sansovino from 1578 onwards, this decorative scheme was designed to show a close link between Venice's foundation, its independence, and the historical mission of the Venetian aristocracy — a program of self-celebration that could already be seen in the Golden Staircase. The four monumental doors from which this room takes its name were created by some of the best sculptors of late 16th and early 17th-century Venice–Alessandro Vittoria, Giulio del Moro, Francesco Castelli, and Girolamo Campagna.