Following the 2021 conservation of Titian’s Annunciation altarpiece in the Malchiostro Chapel of Treviso Cathedral, Save Venice is now funding the restoration of the chapel’s wall frescoes by Pordenone, made possible through the generous support of Arnold M. Bernstein in honor of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

The chapel, dating to 1519, was commissioned by Canon Broccardo Malchiostro and designed by Tullio and Antonio Lombardo. In 1520, it was adorned with frescoes by Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis, known as Pordenone, whose dynamic and muscular style was profoundly influenced by his transformative journey to Rome (c.1516–1519) and his exposure to the latest artworks by Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo, and Michelangelo. This project offered Pordenone the opportunity to channel his newly acquired Roman inspirations, marking a pivotal moment in his ascent as one of northern Italy’s leading painters. It also sparked his first artistic encounter with Titian, igniting a rivalry that would shape the careers of both artists.

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Allied bombings during World War II damaged many monuments across Italy. On April 7, 1944, the chapel’s dome was destroyed together with the depiction of God the Father, and the destabilized masonry below also damaged the fresco of Emperor Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl. Following the war, it was reconstructed and the frescoes were restored, and they were treated again in 1980. After more than four decades, the accumulation of dirt, grime, and salt deposits has distorted their legibility, with areas of detachment further endagering their preservation. Conservator Valentina Piovan and her team are leading the work to address this deterioration by reinforcing the stability of the fragile plaster, repairing disfiguring cracks, and cleaning and integrating the pictorial surface.