News & Stories

The conservation of Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin in the Basilica dei Frari continues with great diligence and is expected to be completed by the end of the summer 2022. Treatment has revealed that the 19th-century interventions performed on the Assunta included the broad application of pigmented patinas and areas of heavy overpainting, as was typical of the procedures and tastes of the time. These layers not only masked the full vibrancy of the masterpiece’s colors, but also caused instability, resulting in the lifting and flaking of the paint layer.

Equipped with the results of comprehensive diagnostic investigations, and in consultation with expert conservation scientists, specialists, and officials from the Italian Ministry of Culture, project director Giulio Manieri Elia and conservator Giulio Bono devised a treatment plan to safely remove these detrimental non-original surface residues while respecting the integrity of Titian’s original work. Under the expert hands of Giulio Bono, the time-consuming cleaning process is nearly completed. Viewers will be astonished at the true splendor of Titian’s original palette.

The Arlango conservation team has completed the restoration of the painting’s immense stone frame and altar attributed to Lorenzo and Giambattista Bregno. The removal of centuries of grime from the stonework uncovered a richly gilded monumental ensemble in harmony with Titian’s magnificent painting. Panel painting specialist Roberto Saccuman also carried out work to stabilize the wooden support structure of the altarpiece to ensure that it is preserved and safeguarded for the future.

This conservation has been made possible through the generosity of Beatrice de Santo Domingo and the Jasmine Charity Trust in honor of Regina Jaglom Wachter.

On December 14, 2021, a presentation was held in the Basilica dei Frari to update the public and press on the progress of the project and the discoveries made along the way. Speakers included Frari parish priest, Father Lino Pellanda, Arch. Emanuela Carpani, Superintendent of the Venice’s branch of the Ministry of Culture, Don Gianmatteo Caputo from the Catholic Diocese of Venice, Giulio Manieri Elia, Assunta project director and director of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, conservator Giulio Bono, and Melissa Conn, Director of the Venice office of Save Venice.