GIUSTO LE COURT,
also known as Josse de Cort, was a native of Flanders who became
in his time the leading sculptor in his adopted city of Venice.
His best-known work is at S. Maria della Salute, the Venetian church
designed by Baldassare Longhena. Le
Court created the statuary group at the main altar and, with his
workshop, supplied substantially all of the church's other statues
as well, both inside and out. His figure of an old hag signifying
the plague is regarded as one of Venice's best Baroque statues.
No doubt because
of their collaboration at S. Maria della Salute, Le Court and Longhena
were retained by Cav. Proc. Federico Prospero
Cornaro (H-31) to create the large monument
in the Basilica di S. Antony at Padua honoring
his brother Catarino Domenico Cornaro (H-29),
who died while leading Venetian forces defending Crete against the
siege of the Ottoman Turks.
Le Court's
other work in the Veneto includes L'Inverno [Winter] at Museo
Ca' Rezonico
in Venice.
