Un'assenza illustre. L'Assunta di Tiziano, i Frari e l'Accademia (1816-1917/1919)

Titian's imposing 'Assumption of the Virgin' (the 'Assunta'), erected in 1518 on the high altar of the Venetian church of the Frari, attracted widespread acclaim, but from the start poor viewing conditions hampered its appreciation. The bright light emanating from the large windows behind obscured the picture itself, and the devotional practice of lighting luminous candles led to a progressive darkening of the surface. Guidebooks noted the altarpiece as one of Titian's masterpieces, but always mentioned its limited visibility and poor state of conservation. Among the positive outcomes of the fall of the Venetian republic in 1797 was the attention paid by succeeding governments to the care and conservation of works of art, especially those that remained in Venice after others were requisitioned and moved to other museums. The renovation of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia in 1807, through the initiative of its second president Leopoldo Cicognara, led to the establishment of an academic museum in which the most important works of art, and those in need of restoration, could be assembled under one roof. Thus, at the end of 1816, the Assunta left the Frari for the Accademia. There it was displayed with other important paintings until 1917, when it was transported with the greatest possible care first to Cremona nad then to Pisa, before being returned to its original place in the Frari in 1920.