Only known work in Canada by the great 16th-century Venetian artist Titian, featured at the National Gallery of Canada this Holiday Season

OTTAWA, Dec. 12, 2012 /CNW/ - A portrait, its authenticity long questioned and in such poor condition it could not be shown, will finally reclaim its rightful place in art history and on the walls of the National Gallery of Canada.  Thanks to its recent restoration, Daniele Barbaro (1545), the only painting by the Venetian painter Titian in Canada, can now be exhibited to the public.

From today throughout the holiday season, Gallery visitors can admire the painting in the European art galleries.

"Titian was among the titans of Italian painting and on the short list of the greatest painters of all time. That was also the consensus when he was alive. Thanks to the expertise and insights of our gifted specialists, we have restored--and convincing reattributed--Canada's only painting by this immortal master and returned him to public view after many years in storage," said NGC director Marc Mayer.

A Once Famous Painting
Daniele Barbaro (1514-1570) was a well-known scholar and humanist.  The Gallery's portrait was painted for the historian and collector Paolo Giovio, Bishop of Como in Italy.  Over his life-time, he assembled a huge and celebrated collection of portraits.  It was an honour to have your likeness included, and when Giovio wrote to Daniele Barbaro asking for his, Barbaro agreed and commissioned Titian, the greatest painter in Venice.  The result was well-documented in letters between Giovio and the notorious Pietro Aretino, a famous writer and "publicist" for Titian. Both men praised the work, and their letters guaranteed its fame.  And so when the painting was rediscovered in the 1920s, the Gallery was happy to buy it.

Yet the story was not so simple.  Another version of the portrait was already known, held in the Prado Museum, Madrid.  The rediscovery of Giovio's painting challenged its position.  Scholars debated the relationship of the two works: sitters often commissioned multiple versions of their portraits, yet which was the original, which the copy?  Were both by Titian?  Opinion swung back and forth until 1991, when the two paintings were compared side-by-side at a specially arranged meeting.  The conclusion seemed inescapable: the NGC version was a copy made in Titian's workshop. Barbaro had sent a copy to Giovio, and kept the prime version for himself.

A Titian Rediscovered
The painting was then kept in the Gallery's vaults, largely forgotten until 2003. That year, a Canadian art lover wrote to the Gallery, asking why such a famous work was in storage.  The answer was simple: it was a copy and, as well, in poor condition.  There was no reason to exhibit it.  Yet the letter sparked a chain of events that led to the painting's restoration and rediscovery.

The painting had been badly damaged over the centuries, and past restorations had not solved all the problems. In fact, it was very difficult to judge its quality.  Could that have effected scholars' judgements?  Stephen Gritt, Director of Conservation and Technical Research at the Gallery thought it merited a second look.  This began a long process, carried off and on over several years, to examine, clean and restore the painting.  The results were a surprise.

Examination revealed a damaged work, but one painted with great sensitivity and skill.  It could not be a copy.  When the chance came to compare the x-radiographs of both paintings, Gritt went to Madrid.  "I spent an afternoon in front of a light-box with the Prado's technical documentalist. By painstakingly comparing subtle features of execution as revealed on the X-ray, we were able to demonstrate that while the paintings were painted more or less at the same time, the Ottawa canvas was the one with all the thinking in it, the one that leads the way," he explains.

With the X-ray images side by side, Gritt saw that the Ottawa painting contained subtle changes indicating that Titian had altered the colour of the clothing and adjusted the collar height, and most significantly, had wrestled with the sitter's prominent nose to get it just right. In the Prado painting, however, the final look of the painting was arrived at more directly, because these problems had already been addressed.  In fact, the two works had been painted side by side - not uncommon at the time. The Gallery's portrait was the one on which Titian worked out the placement of detail and colour, and was most likely finished with Barbaro present.

About Titian
Tiziano Vecellio, called Titian (c.1488-1576) is among the greatest artists of the Renaissance.  His work was celebrated by his contemporaries, and avidly collected by the Hapsburgs, rulers of much of Europe and the Americas. A portrait by Titian was a penetrating, subtle exploration of character - as well as the ultimate status symbol for its sitter. The artist was also famed for the sophistication of his mythological and religious subjects, which were seminal to development of painting in the next century.  Titian created an inimitable, highly personal style that forever changed the art of painting.

Meet the Conservator
Thursday, January 24, at 6 p.m.
NGC Director of Conservation and Technical Research Stephen Gritt will talk about the more gripping issues in restoring paintings, and dealing with the problems of the past, in a public talk. For more information, visit www.gallery.ca. In the Auditorium. In English with simultaneous translation. Admission free.

Admission
Collection: Adults: $9. Seniors and full-time students: $7. Youth (12-19): $4. Families (two adults and three children): $18. Admission is free of charge for children under 12 and for Friends of the Gallery.

Opening hours
The Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed on Monday. Open from December 26 to 31. Closed on December 25 and January 1.

About the National Gallery of Canada 
The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. The Gallery also maintains Canada's premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st century, as well as important works of American, Asian and Indigenous Art and renowned international collections of prints, drawings and photographs. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains an extensive touring art exhibition programme. For more information: www.gallery.ca.

SOURCE: National Gallery of Canada

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For more information, please contact:

Josée-Britanie Mallet
Senior Media and Public Relations Officer
National Gallery of Canada
613-990-6835
[email protected]