From Renaissance art to contemporary electron microscopy: DeGroft's rediscovery of Titian's "lost" portrait of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, of 1539-40.
At the Ultrapath X meeting in Florence, the regular session opened with a presentation of Aaron DeGroft's engrossing story of investigating the authenticity of a portrait of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. In the early 1900s, this work had been deemed to be an authentic production by Titian, a great artist of the Italian Renaissance. A respected art historian, however, discovered a conflict of dates that led to the conclusion that this work was not authentic. In a process sometimes analogous to the practice of surgical pathology, Dr. DeGroft pursued a review of the original materials that refutes this seeming contradiction of dates. Dr. DeGroft also undertook an extensive art historical examination and scientific analysis, including the use of electron microscopy, to persuasively conclude that this portrait is authentic. Further, his work provided a bridge from the conference setting in Florence, rich in Renaissance art, to the contemporary update on ultrastructural pathology provided by the conference.