Introduction
In the fall of 2018, exactly five centuries after the unveiling of the Assunta, Save Venice launched an ambitious conservation campaign in collaboration with the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari to restore this monumental masterpiece. The four-year restoration of Titian’s altarpiece was carried out by Giulio Bono, while its imposing stone frame was conserved by Egidio Arlango. This extraordinary project was made possible through the generous support of Beatrice de Santo Domingo and the Jasmine Charity Trust, in honor of Regina Jaglom Wachter.
Every step of Save Venice’s conservation treatment was recorded through a comprehensive photo documentation campaign led by photographer Matteo De Fina. His work ensured that every detail of the Assunta and its transformation would be preserved for future generations. This astonishing, previously unpublished visual archive has now been made accessible through a dedicated website, generously sponsored by Claudia and Ferigo Foscari.
Designed to captivate the general public, educators, and art lovers alike, the website offers a treasure trove of high-resolution imagery, allowing users to explore the Assunta like never before. Visitors can marvel at stunning before-and-after comparisons of the altarpiece, revealing in the brilliance of Titian’s newly restored colors. The site also offers an extraordinary opportunity to delve beneath the surface layers of paint through Infrared reflectograms captured by Davide Bussolari and Claudia Daffara. These images show Titian’s original underdrawings, compositional adjustments, and the techniques that shaped this masterpiece. Enhancing this experience, a gallery of ultra-high-resolution close-ups allows visitors to explore Titian’s brushwork in astonishing detail, offering a rare glimpse of the painting from the artist’s own perspective—literaly stroke by intimate stroke.
By bringing the splendor of this Renaissance masterpiece to a global audience, this groundbreaking digital resource ensures that Titian’s legacy continues to inspire awe and admiration for years to come.
