This Madonna and Child with Angels was originally part of a polyptych painted for the main altar of the church of Santa Maria Annunziata in Sedico, nearby Belluno. According to some sketches drawn by art historian Giovan Battista Cavalcaselle in 1866 and now at the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (ff. 82r-82v), the multi-panel altarpiece originally consisted of the Madonna and Child flanked by two side panels, or wings, containing Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian; three upper panels depicted the Pietà in the middle and the half-length figures of Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony to the sides. The polyptych was highly regarded by contemporaries and served as a model for local painters such as Giovanni da Mel, who reused the group of the Virgin and the Child in a number of paintings, including the altarpiece for the church dell’Annunciazione di Maria in Mel. Unfortunately, the Sedico polyptych was dismembered and smuggled at the end of World War I, but the Madonna panel remained in Sedico and is still housed in the first chapel to the left of the nave.

Traditionally, the painting has been given to Francesco Vecellio, Titian’s brother. The attribution rests primarily on the stylistic affinity to other works in Francesco’s oeuvre, including the San Vito Altarpiece (San Vito di Cadore) and the Adoration of the Shepherds for the church of San Giuseppe in Belluno (now Houston, Museum of Fine Arts), both painted in 1524. Over the last century, however, scholars have been discussing the possible degree of participation of Titian in the Sedico Madonna. The debate has divided specialists into two parties: the ones who regard the quality of the painting as too high for Francesco—especially Mary and the infant Jesus—and those who rather point out how some parts of the picture lack Titian’s distinctive brushwork—above all the two crowning putti, or the one playing the lute at the feet of the throne. As the debate stands at present, there is little or no prospect of a definitive answer. Far more productive is, therefore, to address the issue from a different perspective, one that reconsiders the context for which and in which the painting was made.

Recent research has demonstrated that Francesco Vecellio worked for much of his career in Venice, sharing the workshop with his famous brother until the early 1550s. Unlike Titian, however, Francesco received most of his commissions from the mainland, especially from the Belluno and Cadore regions. These commissions were executed at the family workshop in Venice, documents show, and one can assume that were carried out with the occasional contribution of Titian with whom Francesco worked elbow-to-elbow. One example of this collaboration is the aforementioned Houston Adoration, a canvas partially painted by Titian around 1507, but later turned over to Francesco who finished and sold it to a small provincial church in 1524.

As in the case of the Huston Adoration, the Sedico Madonna too documents the complex dynamics at play in the Vecellio workshop. Indeed, the Sedico polyptych should be regarded as one of the many independent commissions that Francesco received from the mainland and made in Venice, at the family workshop, with the assistance of his brother. Accordingly, the strongly Titianesque character of the painting—especially the refined variety of details that encircle the delicate face of the Virgin—demonstrates that the two brothers shared and indeed exchanged ideas. In this respect, it is surprising that the very same Titianesque flavor can also be found in a study of the face of the Virgin drawn by Francesco, not by Titian. Did Francesco and Titian mutually exchange materials? If so, was Francesco able to conceive and develop models that Titian and his assistants would then reuse? And, more to the point, what was the actual role and contribution of Francesco in developing the Titian house style? Close examination of the Sedico Madonna during conservation treatment may provide new information on the creation process of the picture and thus help to readdress these extremely fascinating questions.

The examination of the borders of the painting revealed several superficial woodworm tunnels, thus demonstrating that the panel was cropped at the bottom and sides. This was also confirmed by one of Cavalcaselle’s sketches, which shows how in the 19th century the central panel was slightly larger, especially at the bottom. A vertical crack ran through the bottom left, and overall the painting suffered from lifting, crackling, deteriorated overpainting and oxidized varnish. In addition, the panel showed signs of an active infestation of wood-boring insects. The conservation treatment addressed all of these issues, whereas the results of the scientific analysis have allowed specialists to shed new light on the painting and its authorship.

The Sedico Madonna is currently featured in the Tiziano 1508. Agli esordi di una luminosa carriera exhibition at the Accademia Galleries, Venice (9 September–3 December 2023). The painting will then travel to Belluno where will be the centerpiece of the “Una vaghissima Madonna in trono. Francesco Vecellio e la pala per la Pieve di Sedico” exhibition at Palazzo Fulcis from 16 December 2023–1st April 2024.

Francesco Vecellio (c. 1494/96 – 1559) with the contribution of Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576)
Madonna and Child with Angels
c. 1517 – 1520, oil on panel
172,5 x 79,5 cm
Church of Santa Maria Annunziata, Sedico

Battaglia, Roberta, Sarah Ferrari and Antonio Mazzotta, eds. Tiziano 1508. Agli esordi di una luminosa carriera. Florence: Mandragora, 2023

Conte, Tiziana, ed. La Pittura del Cinquecento in Provincia di Belluno. Milan: Edizioni Charta, 1998

Joannides, Paul. Titian to 1518: The Assumption of a Genius. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001

Ludemann, Peter. Tiziano. Le botteghe e la grafica. Florence: Alinari, 2016

Matino, Gabriele and Elia D’Incà. “Regesto per Francesco Vecellio.” Studi Tizianeschi, 6-7 (2011): 20-46. Link to the Article

Mazza, Marta, ed. Lungo le vie di Tiziano. I luoghi e le opere di Tiziano, Francesco, Orazio e Marco Vecellio tra Vittorio Veneto e il Cadore. Milan: Skira, 2007

Tagliaferro, Giorgio and Bernard Aikema, Le botteghe di Tiziano. Florence: Alinari Sole 24 Ore, 2009. Link to the Book