Pesaro Madonna

A bishop kneels at the foot of a great staircase, while the Christ Child, playful on his mother's lap, looks down past him at Saint Francis. Titian moved the Madonna off-centre, and an altarpiece came alive.

The story behind the painting

The Pesaro Madonna, better known as the Madonna di Ca' Pesaro, was commissioned from Titian by Jacopo Pesaro, whose family acquired a chapel in the Frari Basilica in Venice in 1518. The painting was made for that chapel and remains there today. Jacopo was Bishop of Paphos in Cyprus and had been named commander of the papal fleet by Pope Alexander VI. The work recalls one of Titian's earliest paintings, which showed Jacopo Pesaro presented by the pope to Saint Peter. The source gives no completion date, and Wikidata lists none either. The altarpiece measures about 478 by 268 cm.

What to look for

Jacopo kneels on the left, presented to the Virgin by Saint Peter, whose key lies on the step. A large red banner shows the papal arms and Jacopo's own, with a laurel branch for victory. A knight leads two prisoners, a turbaned Turk and a Moor, probably recalling Jacopo's victory over the Turks in 1502. On the right, Saint Francis links five kneeling Pesaro family members to Christ, with Saint Anthony of Padua behind him. The family is motionless, while every other figure moves on diagonals. Infant angels hold the Cross on a cloud, and two huge columns rise out of the frame.

Meaning and intent

Titian broke with a centuries-old tradition of placing the Virgin and Child in the centre. Instead he set them high and to the side, using diagonals and triangles to lead the eye upward, creating a hierarchy that shows the family's piety. Mary at the top of the steps alludes to her role as Madonna of the Stairs, the Stairway to Heaven. The Child turns playfully and looks at Francis, who returns his gaze, suggesting salvation through identification with Christ. The source also records that Titian's wife, who died in childbirth soon after, was the model for the Virgin.

Legacy

The asymmetric design has been seen as presaging the more complex compositions of the Baroque. The columns, unprecedented in Renaissance painting, remain controversial: X-rays show Titian tried other architecture first, and some critics have even doubted he painted them. After the May 2012 earthquakes in northern Italy, the painting was removed for a long conservation funded by Save Venice Inc., with a photographic replica in its place. On 21 September 2017 more than 400 people gathered to celebrate its return. It hangs again in the church it was made for, in its original light.

Schon gewusst?

Painted for the Pesaro family chapel in the Frari Basilica, Venice, acquired 1518
Still in its original location
Restored after the 2012 earthquakes; reinstalled 21 September 2017
Size: 478 x 268 cm

Wikipedia · Wikidata