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Long-lost Titian portrait to be sold at auction
Reuters ^ | Sept. 16, 2005 | Jeremy Lovell

Posted on 09/17/2005 10:25:39 PM PDT by FairOpinion

LONDON (Reuters) - A unique portrait by Italian Old Master Titian, painted over and rediscovered more than 400 years later, is expected to make more than 9 million dollars when it is sold at auction in December.

Revealed by X-rays and painstakingly restored, Titian's Portrait of a Lady and her Daughter was unfinished when the Renaissance master died in 1576 and painted over with Tobias and the Angel, probably by one of Titian's pupils, Leonardo Corona.

"It is a singularly beautiful picture. There is an intimacy in the relationship between the mother and daughter. There is no doubt about that," said Francis Russell, deputy chairman of auction house Christie's at a pre-sale viewing Friday.

"The fact that the picture was left unfinished means that it would not have been considered of value at the time but it also indicates that it was probably not a commission," he said.

The coats of paint that hid the original portrait preserved it from the ravages of time, and the absence of varnish meant that restorer Alec Cobbe knew he was approaching the original when he reached a layer of grime that covered it.

The painting shows a young woman staring calmly but resolutely out of the canvas with her left arm protectively draped over the shoulder of a young girl who is gazing reverentially upwards.

It is unique in that not only did Titian, whose real name was Tiziano Vecellio, rarely paint women, he was previously thought never to have painted a mother and daughter together.

There is no record of the work, probably painted in the 1550s when the elderly Titian was already the most famous and sought-after painter in Italy, but it is believed to be of the artist's own daughter Emelia and her daughter.

The first reference to Tobias and the Angel does not appear until the mid 18th century when it is described as a Titian.

The painting changed hands several times -- forming part of Czar Nicholas I's collection at one point -- before ending up in the hands of renowned French dealer Rene Gimpel in the 1920s.

When the German army invaded France in 1939, Gimpel shipped his collection to London for safekeeping, but took the secret of its temporary destination, a lock-up garage in the Bayswater district, with him when he died in a concentration camp in 1944.

It took his sons Ernest and Jean until 1946 to find where he had had the valuable collection stored.

In 1947 and again in 1963, Tobias and the Angel failed to sell as a Titian at auctions by Sothebys and then Christie's.

Eventually Jean Gimpel sent the picture for X-ray by the Courtauld Institute, which found the underlying composition.

After years of intermittent and painstaking restoration by Cobbe, the purity of the original finally saw the light of day as the centerpiece of an exhibition in Madrid in 2003.

The painting will go to auction for the first time in its new, and original, guise in London on December 8.


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: art; artping; history; titian
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A staff member of Christie's auction house looks at a rediscovered portrait by the Italian Old Master Titian, entitled Portrait of a Lady and her Daughter, before its auction in London September 16, 2005. The painting, which lay hidden for more than 400 years after being overpainted, probably by one of the Renaissance master's pupils Leonardo Corona, is expected to fetch more than five million pounds ($9 million) at its auction in December. (Russell Boyce/Reuters)

1 posted on 09/17/2005 10:25:41 PM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: Republicanprofessor

Art ping


2 posted on 09/17/2005 10:26:08 PM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: FairOpinion

Gorgeous. BTT.


3 posted on 09/17/2005 10:32:19 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: FairOpinion
This is Art!
4 posted on 09/17/2005 10:45:48 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Mesocons for Rice '08)
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To: FairOpinion

"...expected to make more than 9 million dollars when it is sold at auction in December."

--but if it sold in November?


5 posted on 09/17/2005 10:46:38 PM PDT by Hayley
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To: FairOpinion

Beautiful woman from that period of time.


6 posted on 09/17/2005 10:58:41 PM PDT by rawhide
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To: rawhide

And from this period of time (the woman standing, looking at the masterpiece).


7 posted on 09/17/2005 11:07:43 PM PDT by rawhide
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To: FairOpinion

The painting, which lay hidden for more than 400 years after being overpainted, probably by one of the Renaissance master's pupils Leonardo Corona, is expected to fetch more than five million pounds ($9 million) at its auction in December.

Does that price include the frame ?


8 posted on 09/18/2005 1:17:54 AM PDT by Cycle watcher
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To: Sam Cree; Liz; Joe 6-pack; woofie; vannrox; giotto; iceskater; Conspiracy Guy; Dolphy; ...

Art ping.

Let Sam Cree or me know if you want on or off this ping list.


9 posted on 09/18/2005 4:52:21 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor
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To: FairOpinion
Exquisite.

Ping us if you ever find a larger close-up to post.

Thank you.

Leni

10 posted on 09/18/2005 5:02:10 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: FairOpinion
It is unique in that not only did Titian, whose real name was Tiziano Vecellio, rarely paint women, he was previously thought never to have painted a mother and daughter together.

I don't know if I'd say that Titian rarely painted women. I don't know of many portraits of women, but I have to show the other images of the Venuses. He was famous for his luscious nudes, which set a new trend in Renaissance painting from Venice. This is called the Venus of Urbino and is probably of a mistress of the man who commissioned it. I like to think it is the mistress of the house, but it could be that other kind of mistress. The maids in the back are getting her clothes to wear, so she is not a slut. Bathing and dressing were always acceptable subjects for a nude. Note the play of white and red that Manet keeps in his updated version, below. The lovely golden sky is typical of the Renaissance in Venice. Also, the dog (which she owns as she is in turn owned by her man) is changed to a cat in Manet's version.

below, Titian's Venus of Urbino c. 1520s

below, Edouard Manet's Olympia from 1863

He also did many images of the Virgin, which have always been a bit busy for my taste. Below, Assumption of the Virgin.

It's supposed to be important that he has created a triangle of red between the Virgin and two of the people on the ground. Perhaps I don't get into these religious pieces as much because I'm not Catholic, and I always have trouble with people flying around in the skies.

11 posted on 09/18/2005 5:08:55 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor
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To: Cycle watcher

for one penny more....


12 posted on 09/18/2005 5:10:05 AM PDT by Walkingfeather
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To: Sam Cree; Liz; Joe 6-pack; woofie; vannrox; giotto; iceskater; Conspiracy Guy; Dolphy; ...

Art Education/Appreciation ping.

Let me know if you want on or off this list.

My pings have been slow because of the busy semester, but I hope to do something on Renaissance art sometime soon, and this thread will relate to that post.


13 posted on 09/18/2005 5:10:54 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor
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To: Republicanprofessor
Ooops, just did a search for a bigger image of the auction piece. Instead, I found some portraits Titian did of women. These were about the only two I found easily.

Talk about a deer-in-the-headlights look.

I don't know the significance of the bust in the corner. Perhaps someone else will.

14 posted on 09/18/2005 5:16:50 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor
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To: FairOpinion; Republicanprofessor

Thanks for posting. Thanks for the ping. Great painting.


15 posted on 09/18/2005 5:17:33 AM PDT by PGalt
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To: Republicanprofessor
Alas, the Venus of Urbino morphed into the dreaded red X.

Leni

16 posted on 09/18/2005 5:18:08 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: MinuteGal
Really? Not on my computer, but I'll try again anyway.


17 posted on 09/18/2005 5:35:20 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor
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To: FairOpinion

Very interesting article and discussion here. Thanks for starting the thread.


18 posted on 09/18/2005 6:07:16 AM PDT by syriacus (To stay in power, Democrats need a MSM willing to lie about people + events + the constitution)
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To: FairOpinion

Interesting story and thread. Thank you for posting it.


19 posted on 09/18/2005 7:18:51 AM PDT by speedy
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To: MinuteGal
morphed into the dreaded red X.


20 posted on 09/18/2005 7:27:52 AM PDT by ASA Vet (Osama Bin Laden aka Abu Khanzier)
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