Restored in 1998 with funding from Young Friends of Save Venice.

The Neapolitan artist Luca Giordano painted three canvases for the church of Santa Maria della Salute depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin: the Birth of the Virgin, the Presentation of the Virgin, and the Assumption of the Virgin. The latter painting, like Titian’s high altarpiece in the Frari, depicts the Virgin Mary ascending bodily to heaven in the upper portion of the canvas; an orb of celestial radiance frames her as she rises upward in the company of numerous putti. On the ground below, the apostles who had gathered around her empty tomb respond in amazement as they bear witness to the miraculous scene.

Nicknamed “Luca fa presto” (Luca works quickly), Giordano was known for his rapid brushwork and his ability to produce paintings of high quality in a very short time. The Assumption of the Virgin was signed and dated by the artist — “JORDANUS F.,” 1667 — and is displayed over the second altar on the right side of the church.

The work was restored by conservators Walter and Valentina Piovan, with the guidance of project director Adriana Augusti 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.

Luca Giordano (1634–1705)
Assumption of the Virgin
1667, oil on canvas
470 x 193 cm