Renaissance Art in the News

Titian painting water damaged after Venice fire

Water sprayed by firefighters has damaged a painting by Renaissance master Titian at a Venice basilica, local authorities said Monday.

"I saw water dripping from the painting for an hour" after the fire at an adjacent construction site was put out late on Sunday, the head of Venice's museum agency Vittorio Sgarbi told AFP, adding that he rushed to the scene after seeing the fire while dining at a nearby restaurant.

Workers have erected scaffolding to inspect the damaged "David and Goliath" along with two other Titians that look down from the ceiling of Santa Maria della Salute's vestry..

The painting, which was last restored about 20 years ago, depicts David raising his arms to the sky over the decapitated body of the giant Goliath.

"This is Titian's most important ceiling," Sgarbi said, explaining that with the three paintings brought the master into direct competition with his contemporary Michelangelo for the first time...

 

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Stolen Caravaggio painting returns

Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo Caravaggio's "The Betrayal of Christ," which was stolen from a Ukrainian museum in 2008, had been returned....

Some experts estimate the painting to be worth about 100 million dollars.

However, a number of art historians have declared the painting to be an author's copy and suspect the original is kept in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

 

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