Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
Tiziano Vecellio (Pieve di Cadore 1490 - Venice 1576) Workshop
Putti fighting on the Ponte dei Pugni in Venice
Venetian school, late 16th century
Oil on canvas 105 x 144 cm - In frame 128 x 167 cm
Provenance: Lepke Kunst-Auction-Haus, Berlin, auction of 1 June 1926, lot 150, as Tiziano Vecellio, attributed to Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929)
Of the more than four hundred bridges that dot the countless canals of Venice, there is one in particular that is linked to one of the city's most unique historical events: the Ponte dei Pugni, located in the Dorsoduro district near Campo San Barnaba, which owes its name to an ancient tradition, now abandoned, that provided the theme for our interesting painting. It was once a tiny battlefield suspended above the canal, where a real “War of Fists” took place, unusually depicted here with children fighting animatedly.
Always considered one of Venice's most heartfelt traditions, dating back to the 15th century but then banned in the 18th century, it is still commemorated today during the Venice Carnival: it was nothing more than a brawl between the inhabitants of two opposing factions, the Castellani and the Nicolotti, who clashed on the upper part of the bridge, which at the time had no railings, with the aim of throwing their opponents into the water.
The painting, which belongs to the Venetian school of the 16th century, is traditionally attributed to Titian (Pieve di Cadore 1490 - Venice 1576), made in 1926 by art historians Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), founder of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin in 1904, Max Jakob Friedländer (1867-1958) and Hermann Voss (1884-1969).
Nevertheless, for reasons of caution, we prefer to attribute the painting to his workshop, leaving open the possibility that the master may have taken part in the curious composition.
Many of Titian's works feature cherubs, which are not simply decorative elements but have an important symbolic role: they often represent youth, innocence and light, but can also have connections with deeper themes such as love, life and death.
The composition of our painting closely follows one of the friezes, entitled “The Fight of the Children on the Bridge”, which Titian created for his palace in Venice, located in the Biri district of the Cannaregio neighbourhood. Two similar works, in the form of friezes, are owned by Count Lanskoronski in Vienna and Bruckmann in Munich.
Below is a reproduction of a contemporary engraving by a Venetian monogramist. The image suggests a sense of vitality that captures the viewer's soul, and for this reason it must be interpreted allegorically: these little children intent on having fun are therefore a hymn to life and an invitation to abandon oneself to the impulses and sensations it offers us.
By way of comparison, we can mention the large altarpiece of the “Madonna Assunta” (Church of S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice), where many of the poses of the cherubs depicted are mirror images of those in our painting (see photos of details).
Delevery information :
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