| Penitent Magdalene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Titian |
| Year | c. 1550 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 122 cm× 94 cm(48 in× 37 in) |
| Location | Museo di Capodimonte, Naples |
Penitent Magdalene is a c. 1550 oil on canvas painting by Titian, [1] now in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples. [2]
The painting's history is confused by the existence of several copies and variants - it and Danaë are the commonest subjects in Titian's oeuvre. [2] Vasari's Lives of the Artists mentions several copies of the Penitent Magdalene, [2] the oldest of them (the only pre-Tridentine of the four) was then in the 'guardaroba' of the Duke of Urbino and later came to Florence as part of Vittoria Della Rovere's dowry in 1631. [2] Another version was acquired by a Venetian nobleman for 100 ducats, forcing Titian quickly to produce a third variant in 1561 to meet a commission from Philip II of Spain - this showed the saint clothed and later passed to a British collection, where it was destroyed by fire, though a copy by Luca Giordano survives in the Escorial. [2]
The third variant in particular was such as success that a fourth one was made in 1567 - this was delivered to cardinal Alessandro Farnese the Younger, who was supposed to then pass it to Pope Pius V. [2] A 19th century critic identified the version now in Naples as being the 1567 work, [2] but it is now thought to be the one sent to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in or around 1547. [3] [4]
The 1644 and 1653 inventories of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome mention the work in place and attributes it to Titian. [2] It was then moved to Parma, where it was recorded in 1680 at the Palazzo del Giardino and then in the Palazzo della Pilotta, both Farnese residences. [2] Whilst there it was mentioned in Descrizione, a description of the 100 most prestigious works in Parma, published by Richardson in 1725. [5]
In 1734 it and the rest of the Farnese Collection were moved to Naples straight after being inherited by the family's last heir Elisabetta then by her son Charles. [5] Until 1765 the work was recorded as sited in the Reggia di Capodimonte and in 1767 it was moved to the rooms in the Palazzo Reale in Naples before returning to the Reggia in 1783. [5] When the Parthenopean Republic was declared in 1799 French troops looted the Magdalene as one of around 300 paintings with Farnese provenance from the Capodimonte (it then solely housed works from that collection). [5] In 1800 Ferdinand IV ordered emissary Domenico Venuti to get back all the works thus taken from Naples - he managed to find the Magdalene as well as Titian's Portrait of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese . The former was found in storage at the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome along with all the other works France looted in Italy by France, where they were awaiting being taken to Paris. [5]
It was temporarily hung in Naples' palazzo Francavilla until Ferdinand had to flee to Palermo when France established the Kingdom of Naples in 1806, upon which he took with him Titian's Magdalene, Portrait of Pope Paul III , Pope Paul III and His Grandsons and Danae to keep them out of enemy hands. [5] When the Bourbons were restored in 1815 the canvas returned to the Capodimonte. [5]
Museo di Capodimonte is an art museum located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with several important works from other Italian schools of painting, and some important ancient Roman sculptures. It is one of the largest museums in Italy. The museum was inaugurated in 1957.
Pope Paul III and His Grandsons is a painting in oil on canvas by Titian, housed in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples. It was commissioned by the Farnese family and painted during Titian's visit to Rome between autumn 1545 and June 1546. It depicts the scabrous relationship between Pope Paul III and his grandsons, Ottavio and Alessandro Farnese. Ottavio is shown in the act of kneeling, to his left; Alessandro, wearing a cardinal's dress, stands behind him to his right. The painting explores the effects of ageing and the manoeuvring behind succession; Paul was at the time in his late seventies and ruling in an uncertain political climate as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor came into ascendancy.
A composition of Venus and Adonis by the Venetian Renaissance artist Titian has been painted a number of times, by Titian himself, by his studio assistants and by others. In all there are some thirty versions that may date from the 16th century, the nudity of Venus undoubtedly accounting for this popularity. It is unclear which of the surviving versions, if any, is the original or prime version, and a matter of debate how much involvement Titian himself had with surviving versions. There is a precise date for only one version, that in the Prado in Madrid, which is documented in correspondence between Titian and Philip II of Spain in 1554. However, this appears to be a later repetition of a composition first painted a considerable time earlier, possibly as early as the 1520s.
Salvatore Fergola was an Italian painter, mainly of landscapes or vedute in and around his native Naples. He is considered an exponent of the School of Posillipo.
Sacrificial Scene is a grisaille tempera on canvas painting by Pontormo, produced around 1520 and now in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples. It was probably originally produced as part of the decoration of an interior in honour of Cosimo de' Medici.
Last Judgement is a 1549 tempera on panel painting by Marcello Venusti after Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel The Last Judgement (1541). It is now in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples.
Self-Portrait at a Spinet is a c.1555 oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian artist Sofonisba Anguissola, now in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples.
Assumption of the Virgin with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Catherine of Alexandria is an oil on panel painting by Fra Bartolomeo, created c. 1516, commissioned by the church of Santa Maria in Castello in Prato. To the left of the Virgin's tomb is John the Baptist, whilst to the right is Catherine of Alexandria. It is now in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples.
Portrait of Philip II is an oil on canvas portrait by Titian of Philip II of Spain wearing the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece. It is in the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte, in Naples.
Minerva between Geometry and Arithmetic is a 1550 fresco fragment, usually attributed to Paolo Veronese but by some art historians to Anselmo Canera or Giambattista Zelotti. It was painted for the Palazzo de Soranzi in Castelfranco Veneto but now in the Palazzo Balbi in Venice.
The Child Bitten by A Lobster is a drawing by Sofonisba Anguissola, executed in chalk and pencil on light blue paper, and dated to around 1554. It is in the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte, in Naples.
Madonna and Child with Saint Catherine of Alexandria is a c.1550 oil on panel painting by the studio of Titian, now in the Galleria degli Uffizi. It was restored around the end of the 18th century, when the present carved and gilded frame was probably added.
Madonna and Child with Donors or Sacred Conversation with Donors is a c. 1525 oil on panel painting by Palma Vecchio, now in the Museo nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples.
Portrait of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese is a c. 1545 – 46 oil on canvas three-quarter-length portrait of Alessandro Farnese the Younger (1520-1589) by Titian, now in the Museo nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples.
Portrait of Ranuccio Farnese is a c.1542 oil on canvas painting of Ranuccio Farnese by Titian, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. One of the first portraits of a Farnese by the artist, it is signed "Titianvs F.".
Portrait of Pope Paul III with Camauro is a 1545 – 1546 oil on canvas painting by Titian, now in the Museo nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples.
Portrait of Charles V or Portrait of a Man Wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece is a c. 1533-1535 oil on canvas painting by Titian, now in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples.
Belshazzar's Feast is a circa 1660-1665 oil on canvas painting by Mattia Preti, now in the Museo nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples. It shows a scene from chapter 5 of the Book of Daniel.
Saint Jerome or Penitent Saint Jerome is a c.1640-1650 oil on canvas painting by Guercino, now in the Royal Palace of Naples.
Saint Joseph's Dream is an oil-on-canvas painting executed ca. 1615–1650 by the Italian Baroque artist Guercino, now in the Royal Palace of Naples.