Madonna and Child with Saint Mary Magdalene

This canvas, formerly at Fettercairn House, relates to the composition by Titian best known through the picture at the Hermitage, which was acquired from the Barbarigo Gallery in Venice in the mid-nineteenth century. The operation of Titian’s studio has been the focus of great scholarly interest in recent decades, with new information coming to light on the shifting organisation of his bottega and the nature of the collaboration with his assistants, and this picture adds to our growing understanding of the artist’s workshop practices. The question of how replicas and studio versions were made is a particularly intriguing one: it is known that from 1540 onwards Titian kept a large number of pictures in the studio, the purpose of which may have been to keep records of compositions so as to later produce replicas on demand. Titian’s tendency to experiment with and revise compositions, even at a distance of many years, has been well documented, and there appear to be two variants of this particular Madonna and Child with Saint Mary Magdalene. The clearest difference is in the manner in which the Magdalen’s hair is dressed: in the Hermitage picture, it falls down loosely over her shoulders, whereas in the present picture, it is tied up. Another studio version of the latter is in the Galleria deli Uffizi, Florence, which, like the Hermitage picture, dates to later in Titian’s career. The handling of the present canvas however appears to relate more closely to his earlier manner.