Painting restored in 2005 with funding from the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.; marble frame and Valier altar restored in 2006 with Save Venice general funds.

The altarpiece of the Purification of the Virgin at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari was painted by Giuseppe Porta, also called Giuseppe Salviati; originally from the Tuscan town of Lucca, he apprenticed with Florentine artist Francesco Salviati, whose name he adopted. The two traveled to Venice together in 1539, and Porta stayed, spending the majority of his career in the lagoon. He received state commissions, at the Palazzo Ducale and the Biblioteca Marciana, as well as commissions from noble families, at various churches throughout Venice.

This painting at the church of the Frari is considered to be one of his great masterpieces. The subject reflects the new dedication of the altar to the Purification of the Virgin, which was assigned when the altar was conceded to Nicolò Valier in 1517. This important feast day in the Christian liturgical calendar, celebrated as Candlemas, marks the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary, which occurred forty days after the birth of her son, Jesus. The work is sometimes referred to as the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, as well, for the two holy events coincided.

The narrative center of the work is located in the upper half of the canvas, and set further into depth: the high priest, Simeon, holds the Christ Child with reverently veiled hands, while the Virgin Mary stands back and observes as her maidservant kneels and offers up the two turtle doves that were given in sacrifice as part of the rite of purification. Grandiose classical architectural elements frame the scene, creating a monumental backdrop.

The foreground in turn is dominated by the patron saints of the Valier family: Paul, Helen, Augustine, Nicholas, and Mark. Before the family acquired this altar for worship and burial, it was dedicated to Saint Bernardino of Siena, a popular Franciscan saint who had preached in Venice in the fifteenth century. In recognition of the altar’s previous dedication, Salviati included Bernardino on the right side of the canvas; he holds in his right hand the monogram of Jesus with emanating rays.

Under the direction of Grazia Fumo of the Superintendency of Monuments of Venice, the Andrea Libralesso conservation firm cleaned and restored the Purification of the Virgin, returning the glowing color and subtle passages that mark this painting as a great work of the Venetian Cinquecento.

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 Giuseppe Salviati (c. 1520–1575)
Purification of the Virgin
c. 1548, oil on canvas
443 x 247 cm

Basilica dei Frari: Homepage

Chorus Association: Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

Maronese, Andrea. “La Pala della Purificazione di Giuseppe Salviati : devozione, celebrazione famigliare, propaganda politica.” Venezia Cinquecento 44, no. 2 (2012): 71-111.

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