| La Bella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Titian |
| Year | 1536 |
| Type | painting |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 100 cm× 75 cm(39 in× 30 in) |
| Location | Palazzo Pitti, Florence |
La Bella is a portrait of a woman by Titian in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The painting shows the subject with the ideal proportions for Renaissance women. [1] In parallel the stringent composition corresponds to Titian's real portraits. The work can be dated by a letter about "that portrait of that woman in a blue dress" in May 1536.
The portrait represents a young beauty in a blue dress with decollete and rich gold ornaments against a dark background. She points with her left hand to a zibellino draped over her right forearm. The woman corresponds perfectly to all the ideals of beauty of the time with possibly the only exception of "only medium" blond hair. In parallel, the stringent composition as a three-quarter figure and the rich clothing correspond to Titian's courtly portraits of the 1530s. The head shows similarities with three eroticised paintings by Titian from the same period, although it remains open whether it is the same person, model or ideal of beauty: [2]
The painting came to Florence in 1631 as part of the inheritance of Vittoria della Rovere. It is first documented in the della Rovere collection in the inventory of Ducal Palace of Pesaro in 1623/24. Based on this provenance, it is identified as "that portrait of that woman in the blue dress" in a letter from Francesco Maria I della Rovere to his agent in Venice dated 2 May 1536. [6]
"… You shall say to Titian that we cannot imagine anything better for our lady the Duchess [his wife Eleonora Gonzaga], than what we have spoken of, that is, a Resurrection, which we are certain will please her, and that therefore he must put his soul and thoughts to this, and that he attend to those other things; and [as for] that portrait of that woman in a blue dress, we desire that it be finished, with everything made beautiful, and with the timpano [tympanum, or protective curtain], because that way we will be able to see how the others will turn out …"
"… Direte al Titiano, che noi in effetto non sappiamo pensar' meglio per la signora Duchessa nostra [his wife Eleonora Gonzaga], di quello che si è ragionato, cioè de una Resurectione, della qual' siam' certi che si contentarà, et che però metti pur' L'animo e il pensier' suo a quest, et che attenda a quel'altre cose, et che quel retratto di quella Donna che ha la veste azurra desideriamo che la finisca bella circa il tutto e con il timpano, perché da questo possiam' vedere, come siano per riuscir' gli altri …"
According to the general interpretation, della Rovere had seen the portrait during his visit to Titian's studio when it was almost finished. He commissioned Titian with works that were apparently related to this third-party commission. Based on similarities (as well as further letters and x-rays), "the others" / "gli altri" should be Titian's Girl in a Fur , Girl with Feathered Hat and Venus of Urbino .
By Moritz Thausing, La Bella was interpreted as a portrait of della Rovere's wife Eleonora Gonzaga, despite her youthful age. This interpretation is rejected nowadays, as the anonymous description "that woman in a blue dress" cannot be explained as being his wife. [7]
By Leandro Ozzola, La Bella was published as Isabella d'Este, who is the mother of della Rovere's wife Eleonora (or his mother-in-law). [8] Exactly matching in time, her commission to Titian for a rejuvenating ideal portrait after an older model by Francesco Francia (1511) is documented by Isabella d'Este. La Bella would fit this commission as an ideal beauty (with medium blonde hair), the date of receipt in Mantua (with high praise from Isabella) four weeks later would fit [9] and also the anonymous description to his agent would be explained by the rejuvenation of his over 60-year-old mother-in-law. The commission of a "Resurrection" / "Resurectione" (for his wife) in this case becomes interpretable as an analogous rejuvenation of his wife. Rejuvenations/idealisations ("Resurectione" and "gli altri") would thus also be conceivable in Girl in a Fur (Eleonora Gonzaga?), Girl with Feather Hat and Venus of Urbino. This is indicated by x-rays that show, for example, for Girl in a Fur underpaintings with both La Bella and Titian's portrait Eleonora Gonzaga (c. 1537, Uffizi). [10] [11]
However, Isabella's rejuvenating commission to Titian is claimed by the portrait Isabella in Black in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, which is considered doubtful (except its Viennese museum documentation). The eventual interpretation La Bella thus depends on the discussion Isabella in Black and "What is idealisation?", since naming the Viennese painting would neither conform to the ideal of beauty nor retain person characteristics (see other portraits of Isabella d'Este in the same museum).
Further attempts to interpret La Bella as a pin-up or courtesan fail because of the stringent portrait composition. And the only thing that really speaks against the noble lineage is the fact that Titian used her appearance in further paintings in which she was depicted in an increasingly erotic manner. [12]
Isabella d'Este was Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure.
The Venus of Urbino is an oil painting by Italian painter Titian, depicting a nude young woman, traditionally identified with the goddess Venus, reclining on a couch or bed in the sumptuous surroundings of a Renaissance palace. Work on the painting seems to have begun anywhere from 1532 or 1534, and was perhaps completed in 1534, but not sold until 1538. It is currently held in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence.
Francesco Maria I della Rovere was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1508 to 1516 and, after retaking the throne from Lorenzo II de' Medici, from 1521 to 1538.
Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga is an oil on wood painting attributed to the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, completed c. 1504–1505, and today housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
Guidobaldo II della Rovere was an Italian condottiero, who succeeded his father Francesco Maria I della Rovere as Duke of Urbino from 1538 until his death in 1574. He was a member of the House of La Rovere. Guidobaldo was an important patron of the arts in general, and of Titian in particular, commissioning his own portrait, and buying Titian's Venus of Urbino.
Francesco Maria II della Rovere was the last Duke of Urbino.
Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526) was a noblewoman of the Italian Renaissance, the Duchess of Urbino by marriage to Duke Guidobaldo da Montefeltro. Because her husband was impotent, Elisabetta never had children of her own, but adopted her husband's nephew and heir, Francesco Maria I della Rovere. She was renowned for her cultured and virtuous life.
Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino (31 December 1493 – 13 February 1570 was Duchess and sometime regent of Urbino by marriage to Francesco Maria I della Rovere, duke of Urbino. She served as regent during the absence of her spouse in 1532.
Isabella in Black is a portrait of a young woman by Titian. It can be dated to the 1530s and is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The artist and the date are undisputed. Beyond the museum documentation, there are repeated doubts about the person depicted.
Livia della Rovere was an Italian noblewoman of the House of della Rovere and the last Duchess of Urbino (1599–1631).
Alfonso d'Este was an Italian nobleman.
Woman with a Mirror is a painting by Titian, dated to c. 1515 and now in the Musée du Louvre, in Paris.
Turkish Slave, also called Portrait of a Young Woman, is a painting by the Italian Mannerist artist Parmigianino. The painting was executed around 1533. It is housed in the Galleria nazionale di Parma.
Giulia della Rovere was an Italian noblewoman. A portrait of her by Titian survives in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
Portrait of Francesco Maria della Rovere is a 1536-1538 oil on canvas painting of Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino by Titian, now in the Uffizi in Florence. Signed TITIANVS F.[ECIT], it forms a pair with the same artist's Portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere, Francesco's wife, also in the Uffizi.
Portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga is a 1538 painting by Titian, now in the Uffizi in Florence alongside its pair, Portrait of Francesco Maria della Rovere, showing Eleonora's husband. It formed the prototype for some of his later portraits, such as that of Isabella of Portugal.
Giulia da Varano, also known after her marriage as Giulia da Varano della Rovere, was an Italian noblewoman and member of the Da Varano family. She was the ruling Duchess of Camerino during 1527–1539 and by marriage Duchess of Urbino from 1534 until her death.
Vittoria Farnese, also known as Vittoria, Princess of Parma, and by her married name Vittoria Farnese della Rovere, was an Italian noblewoman, Duchess consort of Urbino from 1548 until 1574 by marriage to Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino.
Isabella in Red is a portrait of a woman by Peter Paul Rubens in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It is considered a close copy of a lost Titian original.
