Restored in 2000 with funding from John Leopoldo Fiorilla.

Giuseppe Porta Salviati’s paintings are characterized by shallow compositions and pale colors; his figures are typically arranged in delicate poses and occupy much of the picture field. In this Crucifixion with the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, and Saint John, which probably dates from the 1550s, the figures are arranged along a plane as though on a stage, barely penetrating the space behind them.

The variety of poses and emotions depicted reflects Salviati’s attention to the significance of figural action: the weeping Virgin Mary on the left, her head resting in her hand, enacts her maternal sorrow; Mary Magdalene, who had the privilege of anointing the body of Christ, tenderly embraces the cross at his feet; Saint John the Evangelist, instead, looks up in despair and disbelief at the crucified Christ. The profile of the canvas itself, curved at the top, indicates that it likely served as an altarpiece.

The work was restored by conservator Marco Volpin, with the guidance of project director Sandro Sponza of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Giuseppe Porta, called Salviati (c. 1520–1575)
Crucifixion with the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, and Saint John
1550s, oil on canvas
220 x 140 cm

McTavish, David. Giuseppe Porta Called Giuseppe Salviati. New York: Garland Publishing, 1981.