Paintings from 1540 (Venice, Ancona, Loreto)

Lotto was in Venice from 1540 to 1542. The chief commission that occupied Lotto immediately upon his return to Venice in 1540 was the St Antoninus altarpiece for Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Since his art was out of fashion in Venice, in 1542 Lotto moved to Treviso for searching more appreciative clientele. His stay there was not successful, and Lotto returned to Venice by 1545. In 1549 Lotto won the commission to paint a huge Assumption of the Virgin for San Francesco alle Scale in Ancona, and he left Venice to execute the painting on the spot. He remained in Ancona until 1552 where he enjoyed the favour of local patrons receiving a number of commissions. Then he moved to Loreto where in 1554 he entered the religious community as a lay brother.