Saraceni was unable to finish the painting (titled Enrico Dandolo incita alla crociata in Italian) due to his death, and it was finished by his French pupil Jean Leclerc. The work captures a significant historical moment: Doge Enrico Dandolo taking his oath before the Fourth Crusade, which lasted from 1202 to 1205 and led to the capture of Constantinople as well as the recovery of Trieste, Muggia, and Zara for Venice. The doge is portrayed in the upper left corner, seated in a small loggia near the iconostasis of the Basilica of San Marco, where columns and statues of the Apostles frame the Crucifixion. The church is crowded with figures, mostly crusader soldiers preparing to depart, with the patriarch of Venice standing prominently on an elevated platform.