Speaking of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the mind immediately turns to the imposing cycle of paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto that decorates its halls. However, the Scuola contains other masterpieces, among which is Titian’s Annunciation, placed above one of the arches on the landing of the Staircase. Praised, copied, and reproduced in prints from the 17th to the 19th centuries, in the 20th century, The Annunciation became the subject of questions regarding its dating and authorship. Indeed, there is no commission document, while its chronological placement varies from around 1515 to 1540, and some have seen the intervention of the workshop. This complex critical fortune, along with conservation problems—first and foremost, the Virgin’s mantle, which had turned almost black, perhaps due to an ancient irreversible alteration—suggested the opportunity for a restoration aimed at understanding and enhancing the enjoyment of the work. The intervention (2021-2023), carried out by Giulio Bono and financed by Save Venice Inc. thanks to the contribution of Richard K. Riess, shed new light on the work, highlighting elements related to its youthful production, as well as others suggesting a more advanced chronology. From the results of the restoration and scientific and photographic analyses (reflectographies and radiographs), the complex genesis of the painting emerged clearly, a result of a traditional approach still influenced by Bellini, dating back to around 1520, then reworked in the 1540s, influenced by “Mannerist” suggestions. It is precisely these complex phases of elaboration, typical of Titian’s work, that lead to the exclusion of workshop intervention and reaffirm the complete authorship of the work.
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco shares these extraordinary results with visitors by setting up a temporary exhibition in the Sala Terrena of the Scuola, a unique opportunity that, in addition to presenting the restoration results in a compelling journey through issues and discoveries, offers the chance to see the painting up close in an entirely exceptional way before its definitive repositioning.
