Upon entering the Vittore Carpaccio exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, we see a picture of two women sitting on a balcony. Above the scene, we see men fishing in the lagoon. For years, art historians and visitors took these females to be high-class courtesans, but now—based on their outfits, hairstyle, jewelry, and some symbols strewn around the balcony—scholars think these are virtuous wives.
