Monument to Jacopo Pesaro

Artist: Attributed to the Lombardo workshop, 1524
Location: Left nave, Church of the Frari
Media: Istrian stone, marble, porphyry
Proposed treatment: Cleaning and restoration
Sponsored by: Mont Blanc Boutique, Venice

Jacopo Pesaro (d. 1547), Bishop of Paphos in Cyprus, was commander of the papal fleet that defeated the Turks in 1502 in the Battle of St. Maura. Like other members of the illustrious Pesaro family, Jacopo financed important works of art in the church of the Frari, including the altar painting by Titian known as the Madonna di Ca’ Pesaro, and the commemorative funerary monument depicted here.

Completed in 1524, this sculpture of Istrian stone and white marble features an effigy of Bishop Pesaro reclining on a sarcophagus. The richly decorated architectural details, displaying gilding and insets of verde antico and red porphyry, are reminiscent of the style employed by the Lombardo family, whose sculptural workshop was the most successful in Renaissance Venice.

Under the direction of the Superintendent of Fine Arts in Venice, restoration included dusting, removal of the sooty layer covering the ensemble, treatment for corrosion, consolidation of losses, and the application of a protective coating. The cleaning reveals the original luminosity and vibrant color of the marbles.

Photo: Sergio Martucci