The ''Revenge Triptych'' (Italian - ''Trittico della Vendetta'') is a set of three mid-19th-century oil-on-canvas paintings by

Francesco Hayez Francesco Hayez (; 10 February 1791 – 12 February 1882) was an Italian painter. He is considered one of the leading artists of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, and is renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories, and ...

.Mazzocca, 1994 They centre on a woman named Maria and her revenge upon a lover who has betrayed her.

Vengeance is Sworn

''Vengeance is Sworn'' (''Consiglio alla vendetta'') was produced in 1851, the second work to be produced but showing the first episode of the three. It is now in the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna. It shows Maria's friend Rachel advising her to use political denunciation for vengeance on her lover.

Secret Accusation

''Secret Accusation'' (''Accusa segreta'') was painted in 1847–1848, the first of the three but showing the second episode. It is now in the Musei Civici di Pavia. Its dating is based on a print of it by Giuseppe Barni based on a drawing by Luigi Toccagni in the catalogue for the 1850 Breda exhibition. It shows Maria posting the letter anonymously denouncing her lover.

Revenge of a Rival

The third work to be produced (in 1853) was ''Revenge of a Rival'' (''La vendetta di una rivale'') or ''The Venetian Woman'' (''Le veneziane''). It shows the third episode, Maria repenting of her actions and trying to stop her denunciation being delivered. Its present location is unknown, though a late copy now in the

Villa Carlotta Villa Carlotta is a villa and botanical garden in Tremezzo on Lake Como in Northern Italy. Today the villa is a museum, whose collection includes works by sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Giovanni Migliara; painters such ...

was probably made after the original's success at the Brera exhibition of 1853. It was also copied as a bronze

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

for the base of

Francesco Barzaghi Francesco Barzaghi (10 February 1839–21 August 1892) was an Italian sculptor. Biography Born in Milan, Austrian Empire, he had his initial training in the studios of Antonio Tantardini and Alessandro Puttinati. He enrolled in the Accademi ...

's monument to Hayez on piazza di Brera in Milan.

Interpretation

References

Bibliography (in Italian)

* Mazzocca, Fernando. 1994. ''Francesco Hayez, Catalogo ragionato.'' Milano, Federico Motta Editore. * Mazzocca, Fernando. 1983. ''Hayez.'' Electa. * Ottino della Chiesa, Angela. 1982. ''Francesco Hayez a Villa Carlotta.'' Estratto della rivista Como, p. 6, 7. *Gatta, M. 1853. ''Le Veneziane. Quadro di Francesco Hayez, commissione del sig. don Alessandro Negorni Prato,'' in "Album, esposizione di belle arti", p. 4. {{Francesco Hayez Paintings by Francesco Hayez Paintings in Vienna Paintings in Pavia 1848 paintings 1851 paintings 1853 paintings Venice in art