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Save Venice is proud to announce the completion of the conservation treatment of Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin and its monumental stone frame in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice, Italy,  following a four-year campaign. The public inauguration took place on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 and was led by Save Venice Chairman Frederick Ilchman and officials from Italy’s Ministry of Culture and the Catholic Diocese of Venice.

Although Venice is celebrated as a city of great painters, Titian stands alone. He was an unparalleled master of Venetian color and expressive brushwork, creating an enduring legacy. There are about twenty paintings by Titian in Venice, and Save Venice has conserved ten of these, including masterpieces such as the Madonna di Ca’ Pesaro and the Presentation of the Virgin. The restoration of the Assumption of the Virgin is the crowning achievement of Save Venice’s dedication to the artist. The complex conservation treatment of Titian’s painting was carried out by Venetian conservator Giulio Bono, one of the foremost experts in Titian’s materials and techniques, while the painting’s panel support – the Assumption is the world’s largest painting on wood – was entrusted to Roberto Saccuman. Egidio Arlango restored the monumental frame in gilded Istrian stone and marble.

Save Venice’s conservation treatment of Titian’s Assumption was made possible thanks to the generous support of Beatrice de Santo Domingo and the Jasmine Charity Trust in honor of Regina Jaglom Wachter.

Save Venice Chairman Frederick Ilchman states, “There may be no more dramatically sited painting in the world than Titian’s Assumption. It’s the focal point of the enormous church of the Frari, and upon entering the nave, our eyes are immediately drawn to its powerful composition. Ever since this altarpiece was unveiled in 1518, Titian’s masterpiece has dazzled viewers. Now both the painting and its monumental frame, freed from decades of candle smoke, air pollution, and dust, bring us back to the artist’s original vision. Save Venice takes pride in helping preserve artistic treasures in every corner of the city, though we can admit how excited we are to have conserved one of the most famous paintings ever made.”

Over 50 years, Save Venice has funded the conservation of nearly 2,000 works of art, with a special focus on Titian from the very beginning. Save Venice has plans for a publication on Titian and the complexities of conserving works by the great master, as well as the creation of a website dedicated to the preservation of the Assumption of the Virgin. Titian also inspired Save Venice’s expansion outside Venice. The recent restoration of the Annunciation in the cathedral of Treviso is the most surprising example of this, and the organization provides annual support for research activities of the Fondazione Centro Studi Tiziano e Cadore in the artist’s birthplace in the Dolomite mountains.

Read the full Press Release

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