A Man with a Quilted Sleeve
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| A Man with a Quilted Sleeve | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Titian |
| Year | c. 1509[1] |
| Type | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 81.2 cm × 66.3 cm (32.0 in × 26.1 in) |
| Location | National Gallery, London |
A Man with a Quilted Sleeve is a c. 1509 painting by Titian now held at the National Gallery, London.
Attribution and date
The work's attribution and dating are based on its style and comparison with other Titian works in the National Gallery, such as La Schiavona. The letters "T. V." on the parapet are usually taken as Titian's initials, though they are also similar to the mysterious "V. V." in several works attributed to Giorgione, such as the Giustiniani Portrait or the Gentleman with a book.
Identity of sitter
It was previously thought to be a portrait of the poet Ludovico Ariosto, but this is based on only one 16th-century engraving and is doubted by most modern critics. Art historian Antonio Mazzotta claims it portrays a man from the Barbarigo family described precisely by Vasari.[2] This view has been met with some resistance. Charles Hope, reviewing an exhibition including the piece in the National Gallery in the London Review of Books concluded that claims on early Titian are still too speculative, asking "Why not admit that we still don’t know very much about Venetian painting in the first decade of the 16th century, instead of pretending to a knowledge that we do not possess?"[3]
Provenance
The work was part of the collection of Alfonso López and possibly also that of van Dyck, after which it passed to an art dealer in Amsterdam in 1639. It was famous in the 17th century and was an influence on Rembrandt and Joachim von Sandrart. It was probably bought by Charles I – a Titian portrait of Ariosto was listed in a catalogue of his goods in 1644.[4] It was in the collection of Lord Darnley at Cobham Hall by 1824. It was sold to Sir George Donaldson in 1904. After some negotiation, the National Gallery acquired it from Donaldson for the price he had paid for it.
Notes
- ^ "Key facts". Portrait of Gerolamo (?) Barbarigo. National Gallery. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ Antonio Mazzotta, A ‘gentiluomo da Ca’ Barbarigo’ by Titian in the National Gallery, London, The Burlington Magazine, January 2012.
- ^ Hope, Charles (24 May 2012). "At the National Gallery". London Review of Books. 34 (10): 22. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ HistoryToday, A Titian for the National Gallery
References
- Francesco Valcanover, L'opera completa di Tiziano, Rizzoli, Milano 1969.
- Cecilia Gibellini, ed. Tiziano. (I Classici dell'arte.) Rizzoli, Milano, 2003
- Stefano Zuffi, Tiziano, Mondadori Arte, Milano 2008. ISBN 978-88-370-6436-5