Restored in 1992 with funding from Lily Auchincloss and Romilda Turati.

Titian’s painting depicts Saint Nicholas of Bari seated on an ornate throne with an angel holding his miter, the typical liturgical headdress of a bishop. The three golden balls at the saint’s feet allude to the legend that Nicholas threw purses of gold through a poor nobleman’s window to provide a dowry for each of his daughters.

A fine example of Titian’s late style, the painting is constructed of individual macchie (dabs or spots of paint) combined with areas of bold, sweeping brushstrokes and patches of color. It is signed TITIANVS P on the step below Saint Nicholas’ chair.

Nicholas is the name saint of Titian’s patron, the celebrated Venetian jurist Nicolò Crasso. Crasso, who owned a number of other works by the celebrated painter, also commissioned the painting’s frame and the altar. Intended to be the patron’s burial site, the altar bears an inscription of 1563 and a reference in Latin to Crasso’s two terms in public office as well as the adversities that he suffered at various times in his life.

During the 1992 conservation treatment, the small panel painting was treated for an infestation of wood-boring insects before the layers of surface grime, oxidized varnishes and altered retouching from previous conservation attempts were removed.

The frame and altar were previously restored by conservator Ottorino Nonfarmale.

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.

Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) (c. 1488/90 – 1576)
Saint Nicholas of Bari
1560s, oil on wood
171 x 91cm

The painting is located on the right side of the atrium, before entering the nave of the church.

Return to the San Sebastiano Landing Page

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