Lecture. Katerina Returns

Lecture "Katerina Returns: Monumental frieze from the Cornaro family palace at CVAR – Costas and Rita Severis Foundation"

Lecture by Dr. Georgios E. Markou will take place on March 19, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.

A recent major acquisition by the Severis Foundation has shed light on an exceptional group of five paintings depicting the life of Caterina Cornaro (1454–1510), the last queen of Cyprus.

This remarkable ensemble, of considerable historical and artistic value, opens up new perspectives on the visual construction of her royal image and legacy.

On March 19, 2026, Dr. Georgios E. Markou will present these works to the general public for the first time in a special lecture devoted to their historical context, artistic significance, and political meaning.

During the lecture, Dr. Markou will present the paintings and analyze their narrative sequence, iconographic program, and stylistic features in the broader context of Venetian art production at the turn of the 16th century. He will examine how the cycle shapes the image of royal power through gesture, space, and symbolic details, as well as how it interprets themes of power, diplomacy, abdication, and memory.

Presenting preliminary conclusions about attribution, workshop practices, and patronage strategies, Dr. Marku will also touch on the historical conditions surrounding the cycle's creation and exhibition. The lecture will conclude by identifying avenues for further research, including archival research, technical analysis, and restoration priorities, opening up new perspectives for studying the intersection of art, politics, and dynastic identity between Venice and Cyprus.

The lecture will be held in English.
Admission is free.

Georgios E. Markou is an associate professor of art history in the Department of Fine Arts at the Cyprus University of Technology. In 2018, he defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of Cambridge on Cypriot patrons in Renaissance Venice. This research, which reinterprets the role of Eastern Mediterranean elites in the history of the Venetian Renaissance, will form the basis of his monograph, expected to be published in 2026.