Titian

(Tiziano Vecelli, 1488/90–1576)

Paolo Veronese

(born Paolo Caliari, 1528–1588)

Tintoretto

(born Jacobo Robusti, 1518–1594)

St. Anthony reattaching the foot of a young man who had cut it off in an outburst of violent temper because he had hurt his mother with it.

The Scuola del Santo in Padua, the house where the brotherhood of St. Anthony met, was on the edge of the square in front of the church in which the famous Franciscan saint was buried. In 1510-11 Titian worked alongside other painters to decorate two walls in the upper assembly room (Sala Capitolare) with frescoes depicting miracles from the saint's life. He painted three scenes from the Life of St Anthony of Padua. They are the first of Titian's works that can be definitely dated and that still exist in their entirety.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkle mid image (not very noticeable). Small paper loss (worm or moth hole?) to extreme lower right edge of paper. Two holes at top edge (large staples?)

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

St. Anthony reattaching the foot of a young man who had cut it off in an outburst of violent temper because he had hurt his mother with it.

The Scuola del Santo in Padua, the house where the brotherhood of St. Anthony met, was on the edge of the square in front of the church in which the famous Franciscan saint was buried. In 1510-11 Titian worked alongside other painters to decorate two walls in the upper assembly room (Sala Capitolare) with frescoes depicting miracles from the saint's life. He painted three scenes from the Life of St Anthony of Padua. They are the first of Titian's works that can be definitely dated and that still exist in their entirety.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITHOUT LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkle mid image (not very noticeable). Small paper loss (worm or moth hole?) to extreme lower right edge of paper. Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing in margins. Short edge tear right side.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

St. Anthony reattaching the foot of a young man who had cut it off in an outburst of violent temper because he had hurt his mother with it.

The Scuola del Santo in Padua, the house where the brotherhood of St. Anthony met, was on the edge of the square in front of the church in which the famous Franciscan saint was buried. In 1510-11 Titian worked alongside other painters to decorate two walls in the upper assembly room (Sala Capitolare) with frescoes depicting miracles from the saint's life. He painted three scenes from the Life of St Anthony of Padua. They are the first of Titian's works that can be definitely dated and that still exist in their entirety.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkle mid image (not very noticeable). Small stain top middle above the image area.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, stain at top margin and bottom edge of etching.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

The Penitent Saint Jerome is dated to the final period of Titian’s career. During these years Titian continued to paint masterpieces, such as the great canvas of The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence for the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Tarquin and Lucretia, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; and The Flaying of Marsyas in the Kromeriz Palace, all dated to the last decade of his life. Also from this period are two famous works for Philip II commemorating the victory of the battle of Lepanto over the Turks in 1571. These are Philip II offering the Infante don Fernando to the Heavens, which also commemorates the birth of the Infante, and Religion succoured by Spain (both Museo del Prado, Madrid). Among the information on the end of the artist’s life included in his chapter on Titian, Vasari commented: “The last time I saw him was in his studio in Venice, in 1566, and I found him standing in front of a canvas, with his brushes in his hand”. Regarding the artist’s health, Vasari states: “He had a robust constitution, was almost never ill and never had a serious health problem; up to his death at nearly 100 he retained all his faculties, sight and pulse”.

Titian depicted Saint Jerome on various occasions, one of the earliest examples of which is now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. In that horizontal composition of around 1530 the kneeling saint occupies the centre of the canvas in a clearing in a leafy landscape. Titian conceives the present version as a nocturnal scene in which the moon is hidden behind some thick tree trunks but still illuminates the sky with a great glow. The landscape that envelops the saint has been considered one of the artist’s finest and most poetic. Another version now in the Brera in Milan of around the mid-1550s was originally painted for Santa Maria Nuova in Venice and is considered the prototype for the present painting. It now has an arched top that was added in the 18th century. In the Brera version Titian included symbols that refer to meditation and the ascetic life such as the skull, hourglass, books and ivy twining over the rocks that form the saint’s altar.

In the present version, executed twenty years after the Brera composition, Titian omitted these elements and here focuses on the figure, which takes on a more important physical presence in the centre of the canvas. Jerome is enveloped in a wild landscape to which the colour range and brushstroke give a sense of unity. The artist emphasised the idea of penitence through the saint’s hands and gaze. Thus he holds a stone in his right hand for beating his breast, while his left hand rests on the book on which he meditates as he looks towards the crucifix supported on a long branch. At Jerome’s feet is a rustic flail made of branches leaning against the rock by his left knee, while the lion occupies the lower right corner, its head lost in the background. The colour range is narrow, almost monochrome, with highly subtle modulations of earth tones. Titian used these modulations to create a freely-painted area of landscape through which the bare canvas can be seen. The only strong patch of colour is in Jerome’s red tunic and in a small area of red in the sky. The use of red, which is particularly rapidly painted on the saint’s left leg, functions as another way of emphasising the principal motif of the composition.

Of similar date to the present work is the canvas of Saint Jerome in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. In that work, however, Titian expanded his range of colours and painted a landscape with intense shades of blue in the centre. He also used the symbols of the saint found in the Brera version and modified the lion in the corner.

A drawing was discovered on the reverse of the original canvas of this work, depicting the saint in the reverse direction to the final composition. This drawing was found when the canvas was relined in 1965.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITHOUT LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, small damp stain extreme lower left bottom edge. Holes at top and bottom of paper where the paper was held in place during the pressing of the etching on the paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

The Penitent Saint Jerome is dated to the final period of Titian’s career. During these years Titian continued to paint masterpieces, such as the great canvas of The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence for the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Tarquin and Lucretia, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; and The Flaying of Marsyas in the Kromeriz Palace, all dated to the last decade of his life. Also from this period are two famous works for Philip II commemorating the victory of the battle of Lepanto over the Turks in 1571. These are Philip II offering the Infante don Fernando to the Heavens, which also commemorates the birth of the Infante, and Religion succoured by Spain (both Museo del Prado, Madrid). Among the information on the end of the artist’s life included in his chapter on Titian, Vasari commented: “The last time I saw him was in his studio in Venice, in 1566, and I found him standing in front of a canvas, with his brushes in his hand”. Regarding the artist’s health, Vasari states: “He had a robust constitution, was almost never ill and never had a serious health problem; up to his death at nearly 100 he retained all his faculties, sight and pulse”.

Titian depicted Saint Jerome on various occasions, one of the earliest examples of which is now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. In that horizontal composition of around 1530 the kneeling saint occupies the centre of the canvas in a clearing in a leafy landscape. Titian conceives the present version as a nocturnal scene in which the moon is hidden behind some thick tree trunks but still illuminates the sky with a great glow. The landscape that envelops the saint has been considered one of the artist’s finest and most poetic. Another version now in the Brera in Milan of around the mid-1550s was originally painted for Santa Maria Nuova in Venice and is considered the prototype for the present painting. It now has an arched top that was added in the 18th century. In the Brera version Titian included symbols that refer to meditation and the ascetic life such as the skull, hourglass, books and ivy twining over the rocks that form the saint’s altar.

In the present version, executed twenty years after the Brera composition, Titian omitted these elements and here focuses on the figure, which takes on a more important physical presence in the centre of the canvas. Jerome is enveloped in a wild landscape to which the colour range and brushstroke give a sense of unity. The artist emphasised the idea of penitence through the saint’s hands and gaze. Thus he holds a stone in his right hand for beating his breast, while his left hand rests on the book on which he meditates as he looks towards the crucifix supported on a long branch. At Jerome’s feet is a rustic flail made of branches leaning against the rock by his left knee, while the lion occupies the lower right corner, its head lost in the background. The colour range is narrow, almost monochrome, with highly subtle modulations of earth tones. Titian used these modulations to create a freely-painted area of landscape through which the bare canvas can be seen. The only strong patch of colour is in Jerome’s red tunic and in a small area of red in the sky. The use of red, which is particularly rapidly painted on the saint’s left leg, functions as another way of emphasising the principal motif of the composition.

Of similar date to the present work is the canvas of Saint Jerome in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. In that work, however, Titian expanded his range of colours and painted a landscape with intense shades of blue in the centre. He also used the symbols of the saint found in the Brera version and modified the lion in the corner.

A drawing was discovered on the reverse of the original canvas of this work, depicting the saint in the reverse direction to the final composition. This drawing was found when the canvas was relined in 1965.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Overall discoloration and original tears and repairs within image. Paper loss upper right corner of etching. Frankly, this print is a bit of a puzzler. There appears to be an original signature (illegible) lower right if etching. The impression is not as faint as most counterproofs. We are not sure about this print as to why it is so different from the other counterproofs in Opera Selectiora, but it appears to be a rare anomaly due to the writing at the bottom and the overall appearance seems to idicate it was more of an artist's proof (Lefevre's) than a traditional counterproof. Also, on the back of the paper there is a notation that it is a "very rare original" – whatever that means! Sorry we don't have more information about this particular rendition of one of Titian's most famous images.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkle mid image (not very noticeable). Small paper loss (worm or moth hole?) to extreme lower right edge of paper. A couple of unobtusive areas of foxing. Ink smudge lower part of title area.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITHOUT LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkle mid image (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing and staining mainly in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light staining/foxing around edges of India paper and in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkle mid image (not very noticeable). Small paper loss (worm or moth hole?) to extreme lower right edge of paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing and staining mainly in extreme outer margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light staining/foxing around edges of India paper and in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITHOUT LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing and staining mainly in extreme outer margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITHOUT LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Some staining/foxing at top of image.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

PROOF WITHOUT LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples or possibly how the paper was secured to make the proof). Mild foxing in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

PROOF WITHOUT LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Some mild staining/foxing. Curiously, in the lower right corner of the image, there is a half-circle of laid paper covering that area of the proof.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable). Small stains outside of image area where the etching was adhered to the backing paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing in extreme outer margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light staining/foxing around edges of India paper and in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable)

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing/staining in extreme outer margins and a couple of unobtrusive fox marks within the image itself – very small and not at all noticeable really. Short stabilized tear at right edge of paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light staining/foxing around edges of India paper and in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable). A couple of small fox marks within image area and a smudge in the outer right margin.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Abraham, holding a sword, is in the centre standing on a rock. Next to him, Isaac is kneeling on a pyre. At top-right, an angel is holding the sword. Head of a donkey at lower-right and head of a sheep at lower-left.

Print made by Valentin Lefebre (Lefevre). After Titian's ceiling-painting, originally at Santo Spirito in Isola, later moved to Sta Maria della Salute in Venice.

Printed/published posthumously by Jacobus van Campen in 1682 in Venice.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Mild foxing/staining mainly in margins. A somewhat faint impression.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Abraham, holding a sword, is in the centre standing on a rock. Next to him, Isaac is kneeling on a pyre. At top-right, an angel is holding the sword. Head of a donkey at lower-right and head of a sheep at lower-left.

Print made by Valentin Lefebre (Lefevre). After Titian's ceiling-painting, originally at Santo Spirito in Isola, later moved to Sta Maria della Salute in Venice.

Printed/published posthumously by Jacobus van Campen in 1682 in Venice.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light staining/foxing around edges of India paper and in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable). Paper loss lower left corner.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Simply a magnificent painting by the Venetian painter, draughtsman and designer Titian (born Tiziano Vecellio 1489-1576). Perhaps the greatest Venetian painter of the Renaissance, Titian was called by his contemporaries The Sun Amidst Small Stars (after the final line of Dante’s Paradiso). He was a remarkably versatile painter, equally at home with landscapes, portraits and large narrative pictures. He is particularly important to art history because of his unique mastery of color.

Titian was born in Pieve di Cardore, in Venice, and lived to be quite an old man by Renaissance standards. His style changed often throughout his lifetime, but his serious study and application of color was a constant throughout his career. His later works were, perhaps, muted compared to his earlier pictures, but his overall approach also grew in subtlety.

This painting is now in the church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. It was originally made as a ceiling painting for the Santo Spirito in Isola; Titian made two other ceiling paintings for that church, Cain and Abel and the Sacrifice of Isaac (the etchings of these famous paintings are also available here at Darvill's, see above).

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at top and bottom margins (large staples?). Some foxing/staining in margins. Damp stain lower right edge of paper, well away from the image area.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Simply a magnificent painting by the Venetian painter, draughtsman and designer Titian (born Tiziano Vecellio 1489-1576). Perhaps the greatest Venetian painter of the Renaissance, Titian was called by his contemporaries The Sun Amidst Small Stars (after the final line of Dante’s Paradiso). He was a remarkably versatile painter, equally at home with landscapes, portraits and large narrative pictures. He is particularly important to art history because of his unique mastery of color.

Titian was born in Pieve di Cardore, in Venice, and lived to be quite an old man by Renaissance standards. His style changed often throughout his lifetime, but his serious study and application of color was a constant throughout his career. His later works were, perhaps, muted compared to his earlier pictures, but his overall approach also grew in subtlety.

This painting is now in the church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. It was originally made as a ceiling painting for the Santo Spirito in Isola; Titian made two other ceiling paintings for that church, Cain and Abel and the Sacrifice of Isaac (the etchings of these famous paintings are also available here at Darvill's, see above).

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light horizontal line of discoloration through image, fox mark/stain lower right image.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable). Paper loss lower left corner.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

In this half-length picture of the Madonna, Titian was still keeping entirely to a pictorial idiom typical of Giovanni Bellini. St Joseph is on the left, and Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, on the right of the Madonna. John, depicted as a naked boy, is giving the Madonna the cherries that give the painting its name.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Two holes at left and right margins (large staples?). Some foxing/staining in margins. Large damp stain left side, well away from image area and a smaller one at top edge of paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

In this half-length picture of the Madonna, Titian was still keeping entirely to a pictorial idiom typical of Giovanni Bellini. St Joseph is on the left, and Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, on the right of the Madonna. John, depicted as a naked boy, is giving the Madonna the cherries that give the painting its name.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Beautiful Titian engraving depicting the Madonna nursing the Christ Child

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: some damp staining in margins

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable). Large damp stain on left side – well away from image area

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

The Rape of Europa. Landscape with two women resting on a river-bank in the foreground, Europa being abducted by Jupiter in the guise of a cow and swimming in the river at right, a bridge with buildings in background

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, some overall age-toning of paper

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

The Rape of Europa. Landscape with two women resting on a river-bank in the foreground, Europa being abducted by Jupiter in the guise of a cow and swimming in the river at right, a bridge with buildings in background

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Landscape with a sleeping shepherd under a tree. A herd of animals grazes next to him. A brook winds through the landscape to the right, houses stand in the distance.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

etching printed and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles. Stain / mark lower margin.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Landscape with a sleeping shepherd under a tree. A herd of animals grazes next to him. A brook winds through the landscape to the right, houses stand in the distance.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, short tear at edges. Large dampstain left side, well away from image area.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Landscape with a sleeping shepherd under a tree. A herd of animals grazes next to him. A brook winds through the landscape to the right, houses stand in the distance.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF
etching printed and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Stain/mark right edge of image.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome and Saint Dorothy is a 1516 oil on canvas painting, now in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, which purchased it from the McLellan collection in 1856. The Madonna's pose is based on that of Raphael's Esterhazy Madonna. Its attribution is debated. It was previously attributed to the school of Titian, perhaps an autograph work by his brother Francesco Vecellio or by Polidoro Lanzani. It was later identified as an autograph work by Titian himself due to a 1680 print by Le Fébre attributing the image to Titian, though it has now been definitively attributed to Vecellio.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

etching printed and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles. Minor stain / discoloration in a couple of places around edges of etching paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome and Saint Dorothy is a 1516 oil on canvas painting, now in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, which purchased it from the McLellan collection in 1856. The Madonna's pose is based on that of Raphael's Esterhazy Madonna. Its attribution is debated. It was previously attributed to the school of Titian, perhaps an autograph work by his brother Francesco Vecellio or by Polidoro Lanzani. It was later identified as an autograph work by Titian himself due to a 1680 print by Le Fébre attributing the image to Titian, though it has now been definitively attributed to Vecellio.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, short tear at edges. Large dampstain left side, well away from image area.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome and Saint Dorothy is a 1516 oil on canvas painting, now in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, which purchased it from the McLellan collection in 1856. The Madonna's pose is based on that of Raphael's Esterhazy Madonna. Its attribution is debated. It was previously attributed to the school of Titian, perhaps an autograph work by his brother Francesco Vecellio or by Polidoro Lanzani. It was later identified as an autograph work by Titian himself due to a 1680 print by Le Fébre attributing the image to Titian, though it has now been definitively attributed to Vecellio.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles. Large dampstain left side, well away from image area. Holes at left and right edges (staple holes? Holes from "registering" paper on the press?).

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome and Saint Dorothy is a 1516 oil on canvas painting, now in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, which purchased it from the McLellan collection in 1856. The Madonna's pose is based on that of Raphael's Esterhazy Madonna. Its attribution is debated. It was previously attributed to the school of Titian, perhaps an autograph work by his brother Francesco Vecellio or by Polidoro Lanzani. It was later identified as an autograph work by Titian himself due to a 1680 print by Le Fébre attributing the image to Titian, though it has now been definitively attributed to Vecellio.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF
etching printed and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, short tear at edges.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles, mainly in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITHOUT LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, Large damp stains left margin, just extending into lower left of image area. Holes in left and right margin where paper was held in place during the print-making process.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper. Light staining/foxing around edges of India paper and in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view. The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural horizontal paper wrinkles mid image (not very noticeable). Fox stain in margin.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view.
The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Veronese portrayed St. Jerome — to whom Degli Arbori's chapel was dedicated — on the altarpiece of the chapel in Murano. Jerome, who lived between the fourth and fifth centuries in Dalmatia, is known primarily for having translated the Bible into Latin. He spent substantial time in the desert, probably in Syria, where he led an ascetic life. In a letter to his friend Eustochium, Jerome describes his trials as follows:

living in the wilderness, in the vast solitude that provides a horrid, sun-scorched abode to monks . . . Tears all day, groans all day — and if, resist it as I might, sleep overwhelmed me, my fleshless bones, hardly holding together, scraped against the bare ground. I say nothing about food or drink . . . All the company I had was scorpions and wild beasts . . . So it was that I wept continually and starved the rebellious flesh for weeks at a time. Often I joined day to night and did not stop beating my breast until the Lord restored my peace of mind . . . Angry and stern with myself I plunged alone, deeper and deeper, into the wasteland; and, as the Lord is my witness, from time to time and after many tears I seemed to be in the midst of throngs of angels.

While living as a monk in Bethlehem, Jerome was visited by what was to become one of his most frequent iconographic symbols. As he and the other monks were reading the Scriptures, a lion limped into the monastery. The men began to flee in terror, but Jerome realized that the animal was injured and asked his fellow monks to stay and help him remove the thorn that tormented the animal's paw. He then dressed the wound, and the lion, once healed, "lost all his wildness, and lived among [them] like a house pet."

Veronese depicts Jerome in the desert, with trees framing the composition. On the right, wooden beams held together by ropes and covered by a roof of leaves indicate a rudimentary shelter from the elements. Beneath is a still life of objects traditionally associated with Jerome: a crucifix, an hourglass, a skull, and two open books. The hourglass and skull refer to the transience of life, while the volumes allude to Jerome's translation of the Bible. The saint is an isolated figure in this landscape, alone in his gruelling devotion. His muscular body is tense, covered only by a red cloth secured by a cord. Toothless and haggard, he focuses his tear-filled eyes on the crucifix, while beating his chest with a rock. The bruised ribs are visible, and drops of blood testify to his self-punishment. A divine wind rustles the saint's graying beard in an extraordinary passage of bravura painting. The faithful lion on the left is the only witness to his frenzied state.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.)

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles mid image and margins (not very noticeable). Holes at top and bottom margins (large staples or how printer "registered" the print on the press). Some light foxing/staining in margins.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view.
The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.

Veronese portrayed St. Jerome — to whom Degli Arbori's chapel was dedicated — on the altarpiece of the chapel in Murano. Jerome, who lived between the fourth and fifth centuries in Dalmatia, is known primarily for having translated the Bible into Latin. He spent substantial time in the desert, probably in Syria, where he led an ascetic life. In a letter to his friend Eustochium, Jerome describes his trials as follows:

living in the wilderness, in the vast solitude that provides a horrid, sun-scorched abode to monks . . . Tears all day, groans all day — and if, resist it as I might, sleep overwhelmed me, my fleshless bones, hardly holding together, scraped against the bare ground. I say nothing about food or drink . . . All the company I had was scorpions and wild beasts . . . So it was that I wept continually and starved the rebellious flesh for weeks at a time. Often I joined day to night and did not stop beating my breast until the Lord restored my peace of mind . . . Angry and stern with myself I plunged alone, deeper and deeper, into the wasteland; and, as the Lord is my witness, from time to time and after many tears I seemed to be in the midst of throngs of angels.

While living as a monk in Bethlehem, Jerome was visited by what was to become one of his most frequent iconographic symbols. As he and the other monks were reading the Scriptures, a lion limped into the monastery. The men began to flee in terror, but Jerome realized that the animal was injured and asked his fellow monks to stay and help him remove the thorn that tormented the animal's paw. He then dressed the wound, and the lion, once healed, "lost all his wildness, and lived among [them] like a house pet."

Veronese depicts Jerome in the desert, with trees framing the composition. On the right, wooden beams held together by ropes and covered by a roof of leaves indicate a rudimentary shelter from the elements. Beneath is a still life of objects traditionally associated with Jerome: a crucifix, an hourglass, a skull, and two open books. The hourglass and skull refer to the transience of life, while the volumes allude to Jerome's translation of the Bible. The saint is an isolated figure in this landscape, alone in his gruelling devotion. His muscular body is tense, covered only by a red cloth secured by a cord. Toothless and haggard, he focuses his tear-filled eyes on the crucifix, while beating his chest with a rock. The bruised ribs are visible, and drops of blood testify to his self-punishment. A divine wind rustles the saint's graying beard in an extraordinary passage of bravura painting. The faithful lion on the left is the only witness to his frenzied state.

An original etching/engraving, 340 years old

COUNTERPROOF WITH LETTERING
etching printed on India paper and then adhered to the chainlaid backing paper

(In printmaking, a counterproof is a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of the plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the printmaker to inspect the state of the plate.) In general, the counterproofs on India paper have a much lighter appearance.

CONDITION ISSUES: minor edge/corner wear, natural paper wrinkles on backing paper.

Please click on the thumbnail image for an enlarged view.
The Darvill's digital watermark does not appear on the actual antique etching.