“Unseen Gaze: The Hidden Portrait Under Titian's Ecce Homo”: Exhibition in Nicosia
The Cyprus Institute invites the public to a unique journey through science and art, with the exhibition “Unseen Gaze – The Hidden Portrait under Titian's Ecce Homo”, an artistic revelation that impressed the scientific and artistic world.
“Unseen Gaze” presents the unique discovery and recreation of a lost painting by the great Renaissance master Titian. A hidden portrait buried beneath another Titian scene for centuries was revealed by APAC Labs researchers, and, in collaboration with artist and Dean of the Athens School of Fine Arts Erato Hadjisavva, is reimagined for today’s viewers. Science and art create a cyclical dialogue throughout the exhibition, mirroring the creative research methodologies of APAC Labs.
Titian’s Ecce Homo (ca. 1570, oil on canvas), depicting Christ accompanied by Pontius Pilate and the figures of two of his captors, was documented and analyzed with the help of a broad range of advanced digital imaging and analytical spectroscopic tools aiming to map its material aspects and to uncover details of the works history and artistic techniques. Guided by the observations of Prof. Paul Joannides and a preliminary X-ray on the existence of an underpainting depicting a man, APAC Labs’ researchers were able to document the stratigraphy of the canvas and to reveal the material presence of a complete portrait, painted at 180’ degrees angle, under the Ecce Homo composition.
The more recent use of a new multi-modal scanner, combining Macro X-Ray Fluorescence (MA-XRF), Reflectance Spectroscopy (RIS), and Luminescence Imaging Spectroscopy (LIS), permitted the complete material mapping of the two works and the unique scientific visualization of the portrait presenting an unknown professional man standing in front of a desk in an interior space. The prototype multi-modal scanner was developed by APAC Labs / STARC in close collaboration with the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF), the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine (FSP), and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in France.
In sum, the interdisciplinary scientific study of the Ecce Homo further confirmed its attribution to the great Renaissance master and has enriched the history of the iconography and composition of the Ecce Homo theme by Titian. The material re-discovery of the hidden portrait has shed light on the reuse of canvases in the studio of the master. For unknown reasons the portrait was painted over with the Ecce Homo composition. The fact that the new composition was effectively executed directly on the portrait painting points to an experienced, confident artistic hand, plausibly tracing the work of the leading studio artist, Titian himself!
The exhibition, following its successful presentation in Limassol, is hosted at the Fresnel Building of the Cyprus Institute, in Nicosia, until June 30, 2025, offering a unique opportunity for the public - and especially for students - to discover the techniques of analyzing works of art, to understand the relationship between the original work and its modern re-creation, and to recognize the power of technology to reveal artistic secrets that remained unseen for centuries.
Tuesday – Friday
· 09:00 – 13:00 (Organized visits for schools and groups, upon arrangement with the Cyprus Institute)
· 15:30 – 18:00 (For the public with guided tours at 16:00 and 17:00)
Saturday
· 10:30 – 13:00 (For the public with guided tours at 11:00 and 12:00)
Location: The Cyprus Institute - Fresnel Building
Contact number: 22208700
