FIGURE 1 The Feast of the Gods, Giovanni Bellini and Titian, 1514/1529, oil on canvas, (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1942.9.1).

early Renaissance. They were sources who specialized in materials used in the arts and trades that dealt with color and color manufacturing. Some of the most interesting and useful evidence for the existence of professional color-sellers takes the form of inventories of the contents of their shops. The earliest found so far dates to 1534 [2]. Another, longer inventory of a color-seller’s shop dated 1596 has been found and published [3]. Examination of the materials in the 1534 inventory and investigation of their uses, particularly in glass-making and ceramics, coupled with our new analyses, reveal relationships that encompass both tradition and innovation. There is evidence for more cross-fertilization of technological know-how and taste among artisan industries than previously supposed. In this paper we will show how the information from the inventories combined with new analytical data has been used to expand our knowledge and understanding of the materials used by painters in Venice and add to the complexity of the definition of the Venetian Renaissance palette.