The painting, which comes from the Messetaria magistrature responsible for collecting duty on all commercial contracts, depicts a Lion of Saint Mark with a halo and holding a book bearing the words “Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus” (Peace be unto you, Mark, my evangelist). According to legend, this is what an angel in the form of a winged lion said to Saint Mark who was shipwrecked in the midst of the lagoons, announcing that his body would find rest there. The majestic solemnity of the lion in the composition is tempered by the serenity that pervades the landscape and the saints’ meditative composure.