Half-lenght portraits of听Mary Magdalen in Wilderness听were amongst Titian鈥檚 most successful compositions. Documented commissions reveal, in particular, how the painter used images of the saint as bargaining chips when negotiating annuities for himself or his sons. When Titian offered one of his Magdalens to Philip II, however, there was a much darker story underneath: the artist was trying to make amend and regain the king鈥檚 favour after having insulted him. The paper will听investigate the circumstances surrounding the commission and Titian鈥檚 behaviour, as well as reconstructing the original composition of Philip鈥檚 Magdalen, which was tragically destroyed by a fire in London in 1873.
Carlo Corsato is a specialist in early-modern art and architecture in Italy and Flanders. He has lectured and given invited talks at a number of institutions, including Morley College, London, and the universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, and Buckingham. He has published extensively on Venetian painting and is currently preparing the publication of book on Titian and the iconography of Mary Magdalen.