Friday, August 28, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
/ARTS WEEKLY/PAINTING-CUBA/ITALY: Bassano Triptych Finally to Be Reunited
Dalia Acosta
- The reconstruction of a triptych by Italian Renaissance painter Jacopo Bassano has become a real possibility with the discovery in Italy of two of the pieces given up for lost, while the third piece has been waiting in Cuba.
The decision to reunite the three paintings is in the hands of the authorities in the two countries, since it came to light that the two lateral pieces of the triptych – and with it part of Italy’s cultural heritage – had been recovered.
The central painting of the triptych belongs to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana and may soon be exhibited at the Civic Museum of Bassano del Grappa, the city where the painter was born.
Miguel Núñez, curator for more than 30 years of the Italian collection at Cuba’s Fine Arts Museum, has avoided comment on the definitive reunification of the triptych, instead saying that the decision "is up to the authorities."
This same Bassano piece was shown in 1957 at the Palazzo Ducale of Venice, said Núñez, "in an anthology exhibit of the painter." It was the last time it left Cuba, which has been home to the central piece of the triptych since the 19th century.
The three-piece painting, according to art experts, dates to around 1560. Bassano created the work for the Venice church, San Cristoforo della Pace.
The right-hand section portrays saints Lawrence and Francis, and on the left are Nicholas and Geronimo. The central image is St. Christopher, and is on display at the Havana Museum of Italian Painting.
Art experts consider the St. Christopher in the Cuban capital a mature creation by the artist, who was born sometime between 1510 and 1516 and died in 1592. His true surname was Da Ponte.
The painter adopted the name of his birth city, Bassano, and set up a workshop in which his children – Francisco, Juan Battista, Marina, Leandro and Geronimo – also dedicated themselves to painting. It is estimated that 200 painted canvases were produced in the shop.
The publication about the discovery of the lateral pieces was entrusted to historian Elia Bordignon, at of the University of Udine, and to Roger Rearick, an expert on Bassano’s works, both of whom have requested at least a temporary "reunion" of the triptych.
The central piece held by the Havana museum arrived in that city in 1841 as part of a set of approximately 30 paintings purchased by the Spanish governor of the island at that time.
"The lot was acquired in Paris to be donated to the Academy of San Alejandro of Havana," said Núñez, adding that, the previous whereabouts of the work are not known for certain, nor is the identity of the seller.
In 1913, the painting was handed over to the recently inaugurated National Museum of Fine Arts, a move that was indeed documented. It was "one of the first pieces of our permanent collection," Núñez noted.
This painting of St. Christopher, certified by experts, is the only creation by the Italian Renaissance master held by the Havana museum.
The institution also exhibits a painting titled "Adoration of the shepherds", which the curator believes may be the work of one of Bassano’s disciples.
Three other paintings from the school of the master, in storage at the same museum, are also based on religious themes, Núñez said.
The St. Christopher at the National Museum of Fine Arts can be considered part of Bassano’s mannerist period, more than the so-called late Renaissance, explained the curator.
Mannerism was a trend in European art in the 16th century that marked the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period. It is characterised by the expressiveness of the figures and a rupture with the harmonic forms of classicism, evident in what could be considered strained gestures or poses of the figures.
Bassano "created a way of painting that was a novelty for that era. It belongs to mannerism, and although he is a leading figure in that current, he also holds a significant place within the Venetian school," asserts Núñez.
Bassano moved towards darkness and dramatism in his later works, heavily influenced by Titian and Tintoretto, agree art experts.
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/ARTS WEEKLY/PAINTING-CUBA/ITALY: Bassano Triptych Finally to Be Reunited
Dalia Acosta
- The reconstruction of a triptych by Italian Renaissance painter Jacopo Bassano has become a real possibility with the discovery in Italy of two of the pieces given up for lost, while the third piece has been waiting in Cuba.
(more…)
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