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| Titian Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple ca. 1534-38 oil on canvas Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
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| Titian Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple (detail) ca. 1534-38 oil on canvas Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
The Wall
One might think this work is a fresco, as it covers an entire wall, and is interrupted along the lower edge by the tops of two doorways. Yet it is in fact painted on canvas, hanging since its creation in the same space at the Accademia, a building originally housing the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Carità, a characteristically Venetian religious foundation, which gave way to the Accademia di Belle Arti in the 18th century.
The Stairway
In an antique urban landscape the young Virgin – diminutive and glowing within a radiant nimbus – ascends toward the High Priest of Jerusalem, attired in traditional Jewish garb, who is accompanied by another figure with the appearance of a Cardinal. The High Priest has a white beard, the "Cardinal" a black one. Strong illumination detaches the High Priest from the background, where an underling holds a book.
At the foot of the stairway a large crowd approvingly observes the child's progress. Among these individuals of varying social status are some who would have been recognizable in their day as portraits of living Venetians. In the foreground an old woman is seated, almost squatting, with a basket of eggs she means to sell to the faithful for ceremonial use.
Prospects
Visible behind the stairway and temple entrance is a building with columns as well as a street that appears to be Roman and opens onto a Venetian landscape à la Giovanni Bellini. A steeply pointed pyramid, topped with a golden sphere, evokes Egyptian civilization, as Jerusalem is without a doubt located to the east of Rome. Small pieces of byplay animate the crowd: between two women, for example, a dog is glimpsed frolicking with a child. The noble Venetians are dressed in black, except for one striking presence in red.
Observation from Above
At the very top of the composition, the curious lean over balconies or out of windows. These elevated vantage-points, typical of Venetian architecture, abound on palace facades, particularly on floors containing the principal apartments. Suspended in the air, these people enjoy an alternative viewpoint on everyday reality and the crowd below.
Two Worlds
At the far right corner in the foreground, in front of the stone wall that supports the stairway, is placed an antique torso wearing a cuirasse – missing its head and arms. Clearly more massive than the figures behind it, the colossal decapitated fragment slumps down, while the tiny Virgin mounts high, shining with her destiny as the origin of a new world, that of Christianity, of the Middle Ages, and of the Renaissance. The synagogue is the link between the dismembered Empire and the Church.
The steps are not shown as perpendicular to the wall, and become less so as they rise. Dim at the bottom, they grow brighter after the first landing and gradually twist toward the viewer. The synagogue is indeed the prefiguration of the Church, but shrouded and off-kilter. It must be surpassed, like Antiquity – only then can the two be reclaimed and redeemed.
– translated and adapted from Le Musée imaginaire de Michel Butor: 105 œuvres décisives de la peinture occidentale (Paris: Flammarion, 2019)