Unknown
RA Collection: Art
On free display in Central Hall
This plaster cast of Titian was taken from an unidentified portrait bust of the artist. It was one of eight busts of artists and architects installed in the 'Octagon' in the Main Galleries at Burlington House when the RA moved there in 1868.
Unlike in many likenesses of the artist, Titian is not shown sporting his double chain, the sign of his ennoblement by Charles V in 1533. His dress resembles Agostino Carracci’s 1587 engraving, albeit without the cap. Carracci’s engraving was based on Titian’s self-portrait now in Berlin, which he engraved without the chain shown in the painting. This may be why the chain is not shown on the bust.
Further reading
Tom Nichols, Titian and the End of the Venetian Renaissance, London, 2013, pp.161-68
780 mm x 495 mm x 300 mm