Madonna with Saints and Members of Pesaro Family. The Pesaro Madonna is a painting by the late Italian Renaissance master Titian, commissioned by Jacopo Pesaro, whose family acquired in 1518 the chapel in the Frari Basilica in Venice for which the work was painted, and where it remains today.
Jacopo was Bishop of Paphos, in Cyprus, and had been named commander of the papal fleet by the Borgia pope, Alexander VI. This painting recalls one of Titian's earliest paintings Jacopo Pesaro being presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter, c. 1510-11 Titian shows his patron in a devotional pose, kneeling before the Virgin and presented to her by Saint Peter. Prominently displayed on the step is Saint Peter's key; its diagonal plane, leading toward the Virgin, parallels that of Jacopo.
The Virgin's position at the top of the steps alludes to her celestial role as Madonna della Scala and as the Stairway to Heaven. Titian actually used his wife, who died in childbirth soon after, as the model for the Virgin Mary in this work.
The large red banner at the far left prominently displays the papal arms in the center and those of Jacopo below. Also displayed is a laurel branch, a symbol of victory.
An unidentified knight has two prisoners in tow, a turbaned Turk and a Moor, probably a reference to Jacopo's victory over the Turks in 1502. At the right, Saint Francis of Assisi links the five kneeling Pesaro family members to Christ, suggesting
Jacopo was Bishop of Paphos, in Cyprus, and had been named commander of the papal fleet by the Borgia pope, Alexander VI. This painting recalls one of Titian's earliest paintings Jacopo Pesaro being presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter, c. 1510-11 Titian shows his patron in a devotional pose, kneeling before the Virgin and presented to her by Saint Peter. Prominently displayed on the step is Saint Peter's key; its diagonal plane, leading toward the Virgin, parallels that of Jacopo.
The Virgin's position at the top of the steps alludes to her celestial role as Madonna della Scala and as the Stairway to Heaven. Titian actually used his wife, who died in childbirth soon after, as the model for the Virgin Mary in this work.
The large red banner at the far left prominently displays the papal arms in the center and those of Jacopo below. Also displayed is a laurel branch, a symbol of victory.
An unidentified knight has two prisoners in tow, a turbaned Turk and a Moor, probably a reference to Jacopo's victory over the Turks in 1502. At the right, Saint Francis of Assisi links the five kneeling Pesaro family members to Christ, suggesting
Wikipedia ...