Lot 113
  • 113

WORKSHOP OF TIZIANO VECELLIO, CALLED TITIAN | The Penitent Magdalen

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
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Description

  • The Penitent Magdalen
  • oil on canvas
  • 104 x 84.1 cm.; 41 x 33 1/8  in.

Provenance

Private collection, France, since the 19th century;
Anonymous sale, Mayenne, Pascal Blouet, 28 March 2005, lot 90 (as Attributed to Titian).

Condition

The canvas is lined, the paint surface is very dirty and the varnish is very discoloured. There is evidence of wear throughout the painting and a handful of pin-prick losses scattered along the upper margin. There is also a small raised dent on the left-hand side of the Magdalen's hair. The varnish fluoresces opaquely under ultraviolet light but reveals at least two campaign of retouching consisting of older strengthening in the darks of her hair and in some of the shadows of her drapery, as well as retouchings in the foliage on the right, in parts of the background lower left, and around the fingers of both hands. More recent restoration consists of pin-prick retouchings scattered throughout. In overall fair condition. Offered in a parcel gilt and painted Spanish style frame in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

One of Titian’s most successful and popular compositions, the artist and his studio produced a number of versions of The Penitent Magdalen from the 1530s onwards, with variations in the landscape, drapery and, to some extent, expression. In the way that the Magdalen is covered by her white drapery and framed entirely by the rocky cliff behind her, which extends to the top of the composition, the present work is closest in conception to Titian’s autograph painting produced in circa 1566–67 for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese.1 The landscape to the right bears most resemblance to Cornelis Cort’s engraving in reverse, dated 1566,2 which includes the house and trees on the banks of a river, but omits the tall tree found in many other versions, including the Farnese painting and that in the Hermitage, datable to around the mid-1560s.3 X-ray images of the present work reveal that several adjustments were made to the composition: the position of the Magdalen's head has been altered, and so have her eyes; her mouth appears originally to have been closed; the little finger on her left hand has moved slightly; and the formation of the cliff and the clouds is also slightly different.

1 Today in Naples, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte; see P. Joannides, 'An attempt to situate Titian’s paintings of the Penitent Magdalen in some kind of order', in artibus et historiae, no. 73, 2016, p. 185, reproduced in colour p. 184, fig. 28.
2 For example, San Francisco, Fine Arts Museums, inv. no. 1963.30.36754; see Joannides 2016, p. 185, reproduced fig. 29.
3 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage; see Joannides 2016, p. 177, reproduced in colour p. 181, fig. 24.