Titian's Madonna of the Roses loaned from Uffizi to Miramare Castle

A special loan brings Titian's Madonna of the Roses from the Uffizi to Miramare Castle in Trieste, on view from March 17 to June 19, 2022. The exhibition, titled 'From the Uffizi to Miramare: The Madonna of the Roses and the Habsburg Collections between Vienna and Florence,' marks an unprecedented collaboration between the two institutions. The painting, part of the ancient Habsburg collection, was acquired by Leopold Wilhelm of Habsburg, possibly on the Dutch market from the Hamilton or Buckingham collections in London. It moved from Brussels to Vienna, then in 1792 was exchanged with the Uffizi for works by Bronzino, Barocci, and Pietro da Cortona. The loan was arranged by Uffizi director Eike Schmidt and Miramare director Andreina Contessa. The painting depicts a Sacra Conversazione with the Virgin, Child, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Anthony, with symbolic flowers referencing purity and evangelical narrative. Miramare Castle, designed by Austrian engineer Carl Junker for Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg and his wife Princess Charlotte of Belgium, features a ship-like form in Istrian stone, with interiors reflecting Maximilian's passion for the sea and botany. The 22-hectare park was created by Maximilian in the mid-19th century. The painting is displayed on the ground floor as part of the castle's visitor route.