VENETIAN SCHOOL, EARLY 16TH CENTURY | Ecce Homo

Probably in the collection of the Dukes of Mantua;
Probably acquired from the above, via the dealer Santi Rota, in 1724 by Field Marshal, Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg (1661–1747), and certainly in his collection by 1736;
Sent by the above to his residence in Berlin, 12 September 1736;
By descent to his nephew, Adolph Friedrich von der Schulenburg;
Thence by descent until sold, London, Sotheby's, 12 December 1984, lot 22 (as Circle of Girolamo Romanino).

Probably Niedersächisches Staatsarchiv, Dep. 82, Abt. III, no. 19 (inventory accompanying the sale and purchase agreement of 1724 between Santi Rota and Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg);
Specificazione de Quadri spediti in Germania. Prima spedizione 12 7bre 1736 ('Pordenon. 1. Quadro rap^ta Christo alla colonna. Costo: 20. Stima de Professori: 150');
Inventaire de la Gallerie de Feu S. e. Mgr. le feldmarechal Comte de Schulenburg. Tableaux de f.c. à Berlin, circa 1750, no. 39 ('Titian ou Pordinon. 1. Tableau en planche, représ. Jesus Christ à la colonne en demi figure');
Probably A. Binion, 'From Schulenburg's Gallery and Records', in The Burlington Magazine, vol. CXII, May 1970, p. 297 ('1 XPO coronato di spine in tavola di Tiziano');
A. Binion, La Galleria scomparsa del maresciallo von der Schulenburg, Milan 1990, pp. 262 and 275, no. 39.

The panel is reinforced with two horizontal battens at the top and the bottom, and is flat and stable. The paint layer is quite dirty, as is the varnish. Slightly discoloured vertical lines of retouching, to disguise the appearance of craquelure, are visible throughout the flesh tones, and small areas of retouching to old damages in the hair and the background, upper right, are also evident. There is a pinprick loss just to the right of Christ's hair. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms these, and also reveals some further retouchings lower left, and some small spots scattered along the left and right margins. In overall fair condition. Offered in a carved and gilt wood frame in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For 250 years or more this painting was in the collection of the Counts von Schulenburg. It was acquired, along with the vast majority of the collection, by Field Marshal, Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, probably in 1724 as one of eighty-eight paintings bought directly from the Dukes of Mantua. In the sale list of these eighty-eight paintings it is probably identifiable with the following entry:

1 XPO coronato di spine in tavola di Tiziano

This description bears no resemblance to any entry in subsequent Schulenburg records of the 1720s and 1730s so that it seems very likely that it refers to the present work. In 1736 it is listed amongst the first group of pictures sent by Schulenburg from Venice to Berlin:

1. Pordenon Quadro rap^ta Christo alla colonna. Costo: 20. Stima de Professori: 150

Subsequently it is part of a French list of Schulenburg's pictures compiled circa 1750, after his death:

39 Titian ou Pordinon. 1. Tableau en planche, représ. Jesus Christ à la colonne en demi figure

This latter corresponds with the inscription and old inventory number 39 on the verso of this panel, and formerly on the recto, lower left (removed sometime after 1984 (see Provenance). The inscription on the reverse reads:

Ticiano.P./ Unveräusserliches Eigentum des Gräflich Schulenburgscha.../ Hauses Hehlen in Hehlen oD W./ No. 39.

The painting thus seems to have been acquired with an attribution to Titian, spent a few decades as by Pordenone, before reverting back to Titian. The painting finally left the Schulenburg collection in 1984 when sold at Sotheby's London (see Provenance).

Johann Matthias settled in Venice in 1718. He had served the Serenissima as Fieldmarshal in their campaigns against the Ottoman Empire and, having driven their armies away from the island of Corfu, he was declared the saviour of the Republic, was commemorated by a statue, and was awarded a pension of 5,000 ducats a year. From 1724 he put together one of the great collections of his time and he was also perhaps the most prolific patron of Venetian painters of the eighteenth century, employing artists such as Piazzetta (who also compiled his 1739 inventory of pictures at the Palazzo Loredan, his residence in Venice), both Francesco and Gian Antonio Guardi, Canaletto and many others. His ultimate aim was to amass the largest and greatest collection of pictures in Germany, at the palace in Berlin built by his nephew Adolph Friedrich, and he thus sent many shipments north from Venice in the years 1736–40, the first of which included the present work.