Small change…
This 1533 painting marks the real beginning of Titian’s relationship with his most important patron, Charles V, AKA “monarch of the world”. They had got off to a rocky start three years previously when the apparently peeved emperor paid the artist a mere ducat for a portrait.
Double take…
It is based on a full-length work created the previous year by Charles’s court painter back in Austria, Jakob Seisenegger, although x-rays showing Titian experimenting with the composition suggest that his might have been the original.
Pretty as a picture…
No one in recent history had ruled so many territories as Charles. Sending out the right image was important, and he was not an easy subject. The most remarkable thing about him was a jutting chin that gave him trouble closing his mouth.
Woof!…
Titian gets around this by downplaying the jaw and making Charles fill the frame, suggesting a physical presence to match that of his hound. This real dog, unlike its master, was noted for its size. The shadowy backdrop and furs add drama, against which his clothes’ metallic embroidery subtly stands out. It’s a sombre vision of might and reserve.
Included in Charles I: King and Collector, Royal Academy of Arts, W1 to 15 April
