Titian's Assunta Returns to Frari Basilica After Four-Year Restoration

After four years, Titian's Assunta (1516-1518) has been reinstalled in its original location, the central altar of the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice. The restoration, funded by Save Venice, aimed to secure the site and the painting's condition, and also restored the stone frame. The project involved Father Lino Pellanda, the Frari Parish community, the Patriarchate of Venice, the Superintendence for Artistic Heritage of the Lagoon, and the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia directed by Giulio Manieri Elia. The painting restoration was led by Giulio Bono, and the marble frame by Egidio Arlango. The work revealed two angels in the spandrels of the stone frame, now under study to determine if they are by Titian himself. Previous restorations occurred in 1816 and the mid-1970s. The intervention removed aged restoration materials, revealing vibrant colors and improving the painting's stability. The Assunta, commissioned by the prior of the Franciscan convent in 1516, measures 28 square meters on 20 poplar wood panels, and its innovative upward movement of the Madonna established Titian as a Renaissance master.