Conservation Work on Tintoretto’s Crucifixion Unveils Hidden Draughting Grids
The conservation of Jacopo Tintoretto’s The Crucifixion (1565), one of the most celebrated masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance, has revealed groundbreaking insights into the artist’s working methods. The discovery of extensive draughting grids beneath the painting’s surface challenges long-held assumptions about Venetian artists’ reliance on improvisation and adds to growing evidence that preparatory drawings were a common practice in Venice, just as they were for their Florentine counterparts.
The restoration project, spearheaded by Save Venice, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving Venice’s cultural heritage, has not only rejuvenated the visual impact of this monumental work but also shed light on the meticulous techniques Tintoretto employed to create his masterpiece.
The Masterpiece of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Venice’s Scuola Grande di San Rocco, a 16th-century confraternity building in the city’s San Polo district, is home to over 50 religious paintings by Tintoretto. This extraordinary series, executed between 1564 and 1587, adorns the walls, ceilings, and stairwell of the Scuola, making it one of the most significant achievements of the Venetian Renaissance.
At the heart of this collection is The Crucifixion, an 11-meter-long panorama featuring more than 80 figures. Widely regarded as Tintoretto’s magnum opus, the painting dominates the Sala dell’Albergo, a small upper-level boardroom where it was designed to inspire awe.
For the past two years, this masterpiece has been hidden behind scaffolding as conservators undertook a €650,000 treatment to remove discoloured varnish and repair previous restoration efforts. The results of this meticulous work have not only restored the painting’s depth and vibrancy but also uncovered fascinating details about the artist’s process.
Revealing Tintoretto’s Working Methods
One of the most striking discoveries during the restoration was the presence of an elaborate network of draughting grids used to organise the composition and transfer figures from preparatory drawings onto the canvas. These grids, executed in charcoal, were found to cover the entire surface of the painting, with additional smaller grids used to render minor figures with precision.
This finding challenges the traditional view that Venetian painters, unlike their Florentine counterparts, relied primarily on improvisation and colour rather than systematic design principles.
According to Caterina Barnaba, a conservator from Conservazione Beni Culturali (CBC) who worked on the project, the grids reveal Tintoretto’s methodical approach despite his reputation for rapid and improvisational work. “The confirmation of grids is a big deal,” says Frederick Ilchman, Chair of Art of Europe at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Chair of Save Venice. “Tintoretto was quite methodical, despite his speed and improvising nature.”
Challenging the Disegno vs. Colorito Divide
The use of draughting grids aligns Tintoretto more closely with the Florentine tradition of disegno—the meticulous planning and preparatory drawing process that was central to artists like Michelangelo. During the Renaissance, Florentine painters were known for their rigorous use of preparatory sketches and grid systems to transfer designs to their final surfaces. Venetians, by contrast, were thought to prioritise colorito—the use of colour and brushwork to bring a painting to life.
However, recent scholarship has increasingly questioned this rigid distinction. John Marciari, head of the department of drawings and prints at New York’s Morgan Library and Museum, notes that Venetian artists likely used preparatory drawings more often than previously believed. “When you needed a drawing, you made a drawing,” Marciari explains. “If you needed to scale a figure up using a grid system, you did, but you didn’t do it every time.”
The discovery of a complete grid beneath The Crucifixion adds weight to this evolving understanding. While only a handful of Tintoretto’s preparatory drawings survive today, the existence of such an extensive grid suggests that many more drawings would have been created to plan this ambitious composition.
Restoring Depth and Vibrancy
In addition to uncovering Tintoretto’s use of grids, the restoration has dramatically improved the painting’s visual impact. Layers of oxidised, yellowed varnish—applied during a previous restoration in the 1970s following Venice’s catastrophic 1966 flood—were removed, restoring the painting’s original depth and colour balance.
“The painting was obscured by an oxidised, very yellowed varnish,” Barnaba explains. The treatment also corrected faulty retouching from earlier restorations, allowing viewers to once again appreciate the work’s intricate details and dramatic perspective.
For example, the trompe l’oeil parchment inscription in the lower-left corner, which had appeared yellowish-brown, now shines in vivid white. The restored depth of perspective also highlights Tintoretto’s innovative use of an elongated format, designed to draw viewers into the scene and encompass their entire field of vision.
A New Perspective on Tintoretto’s Genius
Tintoretto’s use of grids does not diminish his reputation as a master of improvisation and colour. Instead, it reveals the dual nature of his artistry—balancing methodical preparation with dynamic execution. Ilchman points to Tintoretto’s compositional use of colour to unify the painting, such as the alternating hues in the clothing of two figures hoisting the penitent thief to Christ’s left. One wears a pink turban and blue tunic, while the other wears a pink tunic and blue sash. This interplay of colours helps to harmonise the vast composition, demonstrating Tintoretto’s brilliance in both design and execution.
Looking Ahead
The fully restored Crucifixion will return to public view later this spring, with the CBC’s findings to be presented at a conference in May. Visitors will not only see the painting’s renewed vibrancy but also gain a deeper appreciation for Tintoretto’s innovative techniques and the complexity of his artistic process.
As one of Tintoretto’s earliest works for the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, The Crucifixion set the stage for the artist’s decades-long association with the confraternity. Completed when Tintoretto was in his mid-40s, the painting astonished viewers from the start and continues to captivate audiences today.
Through this restoration, we are reminded that beneath Tintoretto’s dynamic brushwork and bold use of colour lay a carefully planned framework—a testament to his genius as both a visionary and a craftsman.
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