Tiziano (c.1488-1576)
Adorazione dei Magi (Adoration of the Magi)
c.1557–1560
Oil on canvas, 223 × 120 cm
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milano
Painted around 1559–60, the painting has much in common with Titian’s mature works. The rendering of the sky is interesting, for the colour is applied in such a way as to leave some areas of raw canvas, creating a very singular effect. There is a curious anecdote about this painting: the pretty little dog at the base of the hut was painted over, because it was considered scandalous and irreverent. In his De pictura sacra, Federico Borromeo, founder of the Ambrosiana, refers to the person who had it covered as “stern and fanatical” and he quotes Titian himself when he said “it was not surprising the persons ignorant of any art should commit such a disfigurement”. During the latest restoration, the little animal was returned to view, further revealing the brilliant Venetian painter’s interest in nature. (Ambrosiana)
Compare:
Tiziano (c.1488-1576)
Adorazione dei Magi
1500s
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
Tiziano (c.1488-1576)
Adorazione dei Magi
16th century
Museo del Prado, Madrid