(1477-1576) Studio of, Study for an Adoration of the Magi, c. 1559-1564, pen and brown ink over traces of black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on laid paper, 20,8 x 22,8 cm, inscribed "Le Titien" two times in black chalk on the reverse, mounted, unframed, (Sch)

Provenance:
Collection Boguslaw Jolles (1842–1917), Dresden (Lugt 381); his sale Hugo Helbing, Munich, 28th-31st October 1895, lot 620; collection Michael Berolzheimer (1866–1942), Garmisch-Partenkirchen; forced auction sale Adolf Weinmüller, Munich 9th March 1939, lot 236; Arnold Blome (1894–1972), Bremen; collection Heinrich Beckmann (1875–1940), (Lugt 2756a); his sale Reinhold Puppel, Berlin, 27th February 1941, lot 330; unknown collection; Galerie Bassenge, Berlin, 27th May 2011, lot 6271; private collection, Europe. The auction sale is taking place according to an agreement with the heirs of Dr. Michael Berolzheimer on the basis of an amical settlement.

Certificate:
The present drawing was recently attributed to Titien by Prof. Maria Agnese Chiara Moretto Wiel, Prof. Filippo Pedrocco and Prof. Ugo Ruggeri and according to the certificate was ascribed to the late work of the artist. The attribution was recently also suggested in a written notice by Prof. Michiaki Koshikawa, Tokyo University of the Arts (21. Juni 2016). According to Prof. Bernard Jan Hendrik Aikema the drawing is a work by the workshop of the artist. Comparable studies related to the late work of Titien are collected in the publication „Tiziano. Le botteghe e la grafica”, Fondazione Centro Studi Tiziano e Cadore“ by Peter Lüdemann in 2016 which also summarizes the latest state of research concerning the role of drawing in the workshop of Titien.

Literature:
P. Lüdemann, „Da Tiziano a Tiziano. Il disegno nella bottega degli ultimi decenni tra invenzione e commercio”, in: Lüdemann, Tiziano. Le botteghe e la grafica, Fondazione Centro Studi Tiziano e Cadore, Florence 2016, pp. 219-243; A. Gentili, Tiziano, Milan 2012, pp. 319-320; M. A. Chiara Moretto Wiel, in: Tiziano. L’ultimo atto, catalogo della mostra a cura di L. Puppi, Milan 2007, p. 380, No 58, p. 403, No 89; F. Pedrocco, Tizian, Munich 2000, p. 252, Cat. 208, p. 263, Cat. 222; F. Valcanover, Tiziano. Il Principe de’Pittore, Florence 1999; M. Mancini, Tiziano e le corti d’Asburgo, Venice 1998, p. 258, No 136; p. 267, No 146; p. 269, No 149; E.R.V. Engerth, Gemälde, Kunsthistorische Sammlungen, Italienische, Spanische und Französische Schule, I, 1994, p. 344, No 492. Ferindo-Pagden, a.o. (Ed.), Die Gemäldegalerie des Kunsthistorischen Museums in Vienna. Verzeichnis der Gemälde, Vienna 1991, Plate 49; C. Hope, Titian, London 1980; H. E. Wethey, The Paintings of Titian, Vol. I, The Religious Paintings, London 1969, p. 68, No 5; Nos. 120-123; E. K. Waterhouse, Paintings from Venice for Seventeenth Century England, in: Italien Studien, VII, 1952, p. 15, No 35; F. Valcanover, Mostra dei Vecellio, Bellune 1951, pp. 72-73, No 47; W. Suida, Das Steiermärkische Landesmuseum, Graz 1911, p. 365.

The present drawing may be related to a painting of "The Adoration of the Magi" which Titian executed in his late years from 1559-1564 partly with the participation of his workshop. The composition corresponds in many details with paintings of this subject by Titian. Especially the central composition and the arrangement of the figures around the Holy Family, which is receiving the gifts from the three magi, were used by the artist in several similar versions. Prof. Moretto Wiel, Prof. Pedrocco and Prof. Ruggeri emphasize the resemblance of the sheet with the painting "The Adoration of the Magi" in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Inv. GG_98, Ferino-Pagden 1991, Pl. 49) which in fact was once attributed to Titian but is considered a copy of a workshop member after a lost original by Titian today. Titian’s painting is also known through an engraving by David Teniers, who published it in his "Theatrum Pictoricum" around 1660 (Hollstein 46) together with prints after other Italian paintings from the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. Prior to the archducal collection the painting had been kept in the collection of the Venetian collector Bartolomeo della Nave (Venice, prior to 1638; Waterhouse 1952, p. 15, No 358) and between 1638–1649 in the Hamilton collection. During the Napoleonic wars the painting was transferred to Paris in 1809 and was returned to Vienna in 1815 (Engerth 1884, p. 344, No 492). Another version which may be related to the painting in the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm is preserved in the Landesmuseum Graz (Suida 1911, p. 365) and is also attributed to Titian’s circle today.

All the versions mentioned above have in common the iconographic layout of the composition and the arrangement of the figures around the Holy Family. These features can be also found in other monumental, horizontal paintings by Titian, which he executed between 1559–1564 partly with the participation of his workshop. The earliest version was probably executed for the Spanish king Philipp II. in 1559 (Gentili 2012, pp. 319–320). Tradition equates the painting with the “quadro grande de los tres Reyes Magos” (large painting with the three Holy Magi) which according to a letter to Phillip II on 11th October 1559 Garcia Hernández had seen in the workshop of Titian (Mancini 1998, p. 258, No 136).

The painting was described as “Magi from the East” in a letter from the painter to the king on April 2nd 1561. Together with the paintings “Diana and Callisto” and “Diana and Actaeon” (both in Edinburgh today) and an entombment in the Prado today, the painting was sent to the Escorial in 1574, where it was installed on a side altar of the “Iglesia Vieja” (old church) and remained there until 1963. (Pedrocco 2000, Cat. 252, p. 208). This early version of „The Adoration of the Magi“ is widely accepted as an original by Titian (Wethey 1969, Valcanover 1999, Hope 1980); however it remains difficult to judge, as several details in the center area of the painting went lost due to a fire and to unprofessional restorations in the past.

The „Adoration of the Magi“ in question is justifiably among the documented works which date from Titian’s later creative period (Pedrocco 2000, S. 252). Three other versions of the horizontal composition are preserved in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (c. 1561), in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan (c. 1556–1561) and in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (Mr. and Mrs. William H. Mallart Fund). According to Pedrocco the large painting in the Ambrosiana shows the least participation of workshop members among the works of the same subject (Pedrocco 2000, p. 263, Cat. 222).
According to tradition Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este is supposed to have commissioned Titian with an „Adoration of the Magi“ during his sojourn in Venice in 1556, in order to present the painting as a gift for the French king Henry II. However, three later, when the French king had already died, the Spanish ambassador saw the painting in the workshop of Titian and adviced him to present it to Philipp II. Titian followed the suggestion and completed a second version for the cardinal only in 1564. (Pedrocco 2000, p. 263).

Apart from the resemblances of the composition with Titian‘s painting „The Adoration of the Magi“ in Milan, in the Escorial and in Madrid, the present drawing shows several stylistic similarities with drawings in Titian’s late work which would allow an attribution to the artist according to Prof. Moretto Wiel, Prof. Pedrocco and Prof. Ruggeri. In this context Prof. Moretto Wiel mentioned a detail study for a kneeling figure for Titian’s painting „Pentecost“ (Moretto Wiel 1989, p. 92, No 27) and a study for „Christ Praying“ in the Prado (Moretto Wiel 2007, p. 380, No 58), where one can detect a similar rhythm and flow of drawing and a disintegration of the three dimensional forms. Worth particular mention is also a perpendicular study for the „Adoration of the Shepherds“ and a study for an angel in „The Annunciation“ in the Ufizzi (Inv. 12903 F, Inv. 12910 F), which shows a similar expressive chalk stroke and the characteristic flow of lines with broken contours and an emphasis on light effects. According to Prof. Aikema there is no doubt about the relationship between the present drawing and the paintings by Titian. However he considers an attribution to the workshop of Titian for more likely and thinks that the study could also have been a model for a variant after an „Adoration of the Magi“ by Titian. In any case the present drawing is an important discovery for a reassessment of the late drawings oeuvre of Titian between 1559-1564 and the role of drawing in his workshop.

We are grateful to Prof. Bernard Jan Hendrik Aikema, Prof. Maria Agnese Chiara Moretto Wiel, Prof. Filippo Pedrocco, Prof. Ugo Ruggeri and Prof. Michiaki Koshikwa for their scientific support in the attribution and cataloguing of the present drawing.

Provenance:
Collection Boguslaw Jolles (1842–1917), Dresden (Lugt 381); his sale Hugo Helbing, Munich, 28th-31st October 1895, lot 620; collection Michael Berolzheimer (1866–1942), Garmisch-Partenkirchen; forced auction sale Adolf Weinmüller, Munich 9th March 1939, lot 236; Arnold Blome (1894–1972), Bremen; collection Heinrich Beckmann (1875–1940), (Lugt 2756a); his sale Reinhold Puppel, Berlin, 27th February 1941, lot 330; unknown collection; Galerie Bassenge, Berlin, 27th May 2011, lot 6271; private collection, Europe. The auction sale is taking place according to an agreement with the heirs of Dr. Michael Berolzheimer on the basis of an amical settlement. Certificate:
The present drawing was recently attributed to Titien by Prof. Maria Agnese Chiara Moretto Wiel, Prof. Filippo Pedrocco and Prof. Ugo Ruggeri and according to the certificate was ascribed to the late work of the artist. The attribution was recently also suggested in a written notice by Prof. Michiaki Koshikawa, Tokyo University of the Arts (21. Juni 2016). According to Prof. Bernard Jan Hendrik Aikema the drawing is a work by the workshop of the artist. Comparable studies related to the late work of Titien are collected in the publication „Tiziano. Le botteghe e la grafica”, Fondazione Centro Studi Tiziano e Cadore“ by Peter Lüdemann in 2016 which also summarizes the latest state of research concerning the role of drawing in the workshop of Titien.

Literature:

P. Lüdemann, „Da Tiziano a Tiziano. Il disegno nella bottega degli ultimi decenni tra invenzione e commercio”, in: Lüdemann, Tiziano. Le botteghe e la grafica, Fondazione Centro Studi Tiziano e Cadore, Florence 2016, pp. 219-243; A. Gentili, Tiziano, Milan 2012, pp. 319-320; M. A. Chiara Moretto Wiel, in: Tiziano. L’ultimo atto, catalogo della mostra a cura di L. Puppi, Milan 2007, p. 380, No 58, p. 403, No 89; F. Pedrocco, Tizian, Munich 2000, p. 252, Cat. 208, p. 263, Cat. 222; F. Valcanover, Tiziano. Il Principe de’Pittore, Florence 1999; M. Mancini, Tiziano e le corti d’Asburgo, Venice 1998, p. 258, No 136; p. 267, No 146; p. 269, No 149; E.R.V. Engerth, Gemälde, Kunsthistorische Sammlungen, Italienische, Spanische und Französische Schule, I, 1994, p. 344, No 492. Ferindo-Pagden, a.o. (Ed.), Die Gemäldegalerie des Kunsthistorischen Museums in Vienna. Verzeichnis der Gemälde, Vienna 1991, Plate 49; C. Hope, Titian, London 1980; H. E. Wethey, The Paintings of Titian, Vol. I, The Religious Paintings, London 1969, p. 68, No 5; Nos. 120-123; E. K. Waterhouse, Paintings from Venice for Seventeenth Century England, in: Italien Studien, VII, 1952, p. 15, No 35; F. Valcanover, Mostra dei Vecellio, Bellune 1951, pp. 72-73, No 47; W. Suida, Das Steiermärkische Landesmuseum, Graz 1911, p. 365.

The present drawing may be related to a painting of "The Adoration of the Magi" which Titian executed in his late years from 1559-1564 partly with the participation of his workshop. The composition corresponds in many details with paintings of this subject by Titian. Especially the central composition and the arrangement of the figures around the Holy Family, which is receiving the gifts from the three magi, were used by the artist in several similar versions. Prof. Moretto Wiel, Prof. Pedrocco and Prof. Ruggeri emphasize the resemblance of the sheet with the painting "The Adoration of the Magi" in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Inv. GG_98, Ferino-Pagden 1991, Pl. 49) which in fact was once attributed to Titian but is considered a copy of a workshop member after a lost original by Titian today. Titian’s painting is also known through an engraving by David Teniers, who published it in his "Theatrum Pictoricum" around 1660 (Hollstein 46) together with prints after other Italian paintings from the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. Prior to the archducal collection the painting had been kept in the collection of the Venetian collector Bartolomeo della Nave (Venice, prior to 1638; Waterhouse 1952, p. 15, No 358) and between 1638–1649 in the Hamilton collection. During the Napoleonic wars the painting was transferred to Paris in 1809 and was returned to Vienna in 1815 (Engerth 1884, p. 344, No 492). Another version which may be related to the painting in the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm is preserved in the Landesmuseum Graz (Suida 1911, p. 365) and is also attributed to Titian’s circle today.

All the versions mentioned above have in common the iconographic layout of the composition and the arrangement of the figures around the Holy Family. These features can be also found in other monumental, horizontal paintings by Titian, which he executed between 1559–1564 partly with the participation of his workshop. The earliest version was probably executed for the Spanish king Philipp II. in 1559 (Gentili 2012, pp. 319–320). Tradition equates the painting with the “quadro grande de los tres Reyes Magos” (large painting with the three Holy Magi) which according to a letter to Phillip II on 11th October 1559 Garcia Hernández had seen in the workshop of Titian (Mancini 1998, p. 258, No 136). The painting was described as “Magi from the East” in a letter from the painter to the king on April 2nd 1561. Together with the paintings “Diana and Callisto” and “Diana and Actaeon” (both in Edinburgh today) and an entombment in the Prado today, the painting was sent to the Escorial in 1574, where it was installed on a side altar of the “Iglesia Vieja” (old church) and remained there until 1963. (Pedrocco 2000, Cat. 252, p. 208). This early version of „The Adoration of the Magi“ is widely accepted as an original by Titian (Wethey 1969, Valcanover 1999, Hope 1980); however it remains difficult to judge, as several details in the center area of the painting went lost due to a fire and to unprofessional restorations in the past.

The „Adoration of the Magi“ in question is justifiably among the documented works which date from Titian’s later creative period (Pedrocco 2000, S. 252). Three other versions of the horizontal composition are preserved in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (c. 1561), in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan (c. 1556–1561) and in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (Mr. and Mrs. William H. Mallart Fund). According to Pedrocco the large painting in the Ambrosiana shows the least participation of workshop members among the works of the same subject (Pedrocco 2000, p. 263, Cat. 222).

According to tradition Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este is supposed to have commissioned Titian with an „Adoration of the Magi“ during his sojourn in Venice in 1556, in order to present the painting as a gift for the French king Henry II. However, three later, when the French king had already died, the Spanish ambassador saw the painting in the workshop of Titian and adviced him to present it to Philipp II. Titian followed the suggestion and completed a second version for the cardinal only in 1564. (Pedrocco 2000, p. 263).

Apart from the resemblances of the composition with Titian‘s painting „The Adoration of the Magi“ in Milan, in the Escorial and in Madrid, the present drawing shows several stylistic similarities with drawings in Titian’s late work which would allow an attribution to the artist according to Prof. Moretto Wiel, Prof. Pedrocco and Prof. Ruggeri. In this context Prof. Moretto Wiel mentioned a detail study for a kneeling figure for Titian’s painting „Pentecost“ (Moretto Wiel 1989, p. 92, No 27) and a study for „Christ Praying“ in the Prado (Moretto Wiel 2007, p. 380, No 58), where one can detect a similar rhythm and flow of drawing and a disintegration of the three dimensional forms. Worth particular mention is also a perpendicular study for the „Adoration of the Shepherds“ and a study for an angel in „The Annunciation“ in the Ufizzi (Inv. 12903 F, Inv. 12910 F), which shows a similar expressive chalk stroke and the characteristic flow of lines with broken contours and an emphasis on light effects. According to Prof. Aikema there is no doubt about the relationship between the present drawing and the paintings by Titian. However he considers an attribution to the workshop of Titian for more likely and thinks that the study could also have been a model for a variant after an „Adoration of the Magi“ by Titian. In any case the present drawing is an important discovery for a reassessment of the late drawings oeuvre of Titian between 1559-1564 and the role of drawing in his workshop.

We are grateful to Prof. Bernard Jan Hendrik Aikema, Prof. Maria Agnese Chiara Moretto Wiel, Prof. Filippo Pedrocco, Prof. Ugo Ruggeri and Prof. Michiaki Koshikwa for their scientific support in the attribution and cataloguing of the present drawing.