Biography

Carl Villis is a paintings conservator at the National Gallery of Victoria, where he specialises in the treatment of European Old Master paintings.  Since 1995 he has been responsible for numerous conservation projects, including key works in the NGV collection by Titian, Tintoretto, Correggio, and Poussin.  A graduate from the University of Canberra (1992), Carl has also worked extensively in Italy and in the United States. Carl’s research and publications focus on the integration of technical and scientific research with art historical enquiry.  He has authored articles across both fields, on a range of artists, including Jan van Eyck, Giambattista Tiepolo, Bernardo Bellotto and Anthony van Dyck.

Project Summary

His research project investigates an early sixteenth-century portrait the National Gallery of Victoria, recently identified as Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara.  The project examines the portrait’s provenance, the materials and techniques of the artist, and the painting’s visual symbols and literary sources, all within the context of the Estense court of Ferrara.