Portrait of Pope Paul III (Titian)
| Portrait of Pope Paul III | |
|---|---|
_-_National_Museum_of_Capodimonte.jpg) | |
| Artist | Titian |
| Year | c.1543 |
| Location | Museo di Capodimonte, Naples |
Portrait of Pope Paul III (or Portrait of Pope Paul III Without Cap) is a 1543 oil-on-canvas portrait by Titian of Pope Paul III, produced during the pope's visit to Northern Italy.[1] It is in the collection of the Capodimonte Museum, Naples, southern Italy.
Background
The work was completed by Titian during a meeting with Paul III in Ferrara, in April 1543 during a period of tension and political uncertainty leading up to the Council of Trent.[2]
The pope is depicted with unflinching realism and a old, tired and distrustful man, but who nevertheless has an intelligent and sharp expression. The painting is a reinterpretation of Raphael's Portrait of Pope Julius II. Characteristic of Titian's late style, it consists of broad brushstroke and loose definition in the form. A slightly later variant from c. 1546 shows him wearing a camauro.
The portrait of was inherited by Isabella of Farnese, mother of Charles of Bourbon, who took it to Naples in 1734 to be exhibited in the palace of Capodimonte, where it remains today. Titian produced a replica two years later, which is now preserved in the cathedral of Toledo.
Notes
- ^ "Portrait of Pope Paul III Without Cap. Google Arts and Culture. Retrieved 31 March 2022
- ^ Bondanella (1996), p. 86
Sources
- Bondanella, Julia. The Life of Titian. Penn State University Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-271-01627-6
- Donatz, Andrea. "Titian and the Portrait of Paul III". Academia.edu, 2015
- Zapperi, Roberto. "Alessandro Farnese, Giovanni della Casa and Titian's Danae in Naples". Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Volume 54, 1991