TITIAN
1487/90-1576

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This portrait commemorates the battle of Mühlberg, which took place against the protestant troops of John Frederick of Saxony. Titian, the painter of courtesan grandeur, took inspiration from classic antiquity for the equestrian arrangement of this piece. It presents the Emperor of the Holy Roman-Germanic Empire as a sublime symbol of power. He uses the technique of painting in heavy, dark colours, emphasizing the harsh and noble character of this person. Undoubtedly, a masterpiece from the Venetian school.

Roberto Bueno
Bachelor of Art History

Empress Isabel
(Emperatriz Isabel)
Painted: 1548.
ORIGINAL SIZE: 1,17/0,98 m

She was the wife of Charles V and mother of Philip II. Titian expresses the imperial dignity of this Infanta of Portugal through the splendour of her garments and the objects which adorn her. We can see the meticulous detail in the ornaments in this portrait The face shows sadness and appears expressionless. The bust is based on other portraits of this character which gives the picture a certain agelessness. In the background, there is a window opened onto a landscape where Titian tries to balance the aesthetic feeling of the scene.

Roberto Bueno
Bachelor of Art History

This is a portrait which must be studied in order to observe its evolution as it is the last of the so-called "aparato" portraits - solemn and oppulent. It shows the figure of the standing Emperor, a serene and calm image which contrasts with the worried expression of his face which bears him a great phsycological load. What stands out in this scene are the Emperor´s suit and the dog, which denotes the social category to which the character belongs.

Roberto Bueno
Bachelor of Art History

Danae receiving the Golden Rain
(Danae recibiendo la lluvia de oro)
Painted: 1553.
ORIGINAL SIZE: 1,92/1,11 m

Titian painted this picture, commissioned by Philip II, when he was seventy seven years old. It represents the myth of Jupiter being converted into a shower of gold in order to visit Venus in her bedroom. Danae´s body appears in the foreground, naked and lying on a bed. Her legs are open and bent, her hands resting on the pillow, and her thigh and head slightly tilted.

Consuelo López
Bachelor of Hispanic Philology