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TITIAN was born in the little town of Cadore, on the Piave, five
miles from the Alps. He sprang from the family of the Vecelli,
one of the most noble of those parts; and when he reached the
age of ten years, showing a fine spirit and quickness of mind,
he was sent to Venice to the house of one of his uncles, an honoured
citizen. He, seeing that the boy was much inclined to painting,
put him with the famous painter Gian Bellini, under whose discipline
he studied draw ing, and showed himself in a short time to be
endowed by nature with all that was necessary for the art of painting.
Gian Bellini and thc other painters of that country, having no
knowledge of ancient art, were accustomed mostly, in fact ent;rely,
to draw from life, though in a dry, crude manner. Titian therefore
learnt in this way. But when Giorgione da Castelfranco came, the
manner of working did not altogether please him, and he began
to give his works more softness and greater relief, following
nature indeed, and imitating her as well as he could in colour,
but not making any drawing, holding firmly that painting in colours
without studying the drawing in a cartoon was the true and best
way of working. Titian then, seeing Giorgione's method, left Gian
Bellini's manner and adopted the new way, imitating it so well
that his pictures were mistaken for works of Giorgione. And when
Giorgione was employed upon the facade of the German Exchange
a part was given to Titian. Some gentlemen, not knowing that Giorgione
had ceased to work there, and that Titian was employed upon it,
meeting Giorgione one day, began to congratulate him, saying he
was doing better on this facade than he had done on that one on
the Grand Canal. And this vexed Giorgione so much that until the
work was finished, and it was known that Titian had done that
part, he would not be seen, and from that time he would not let
Titian work with him or be his friend.
In the year 1508 Titian published a woodcut of his Triumph of
the Faith. And I remember Fra Sebastiano del Piombo talking to
me about it, and saying that if Titian had been to Rome, and had
seen Michael Angelo's work, and Raffaello's, and the ancient statues,
and had studied drawing, he would have done astonishing things,
because he had such a fine method of colouring, and deserved
the praise of being the best imitator of nature in the matter
of colour of our time.
Giovanni Bellini left unfinished at his death the picture, in
the hall of the Great Council, of Frederic Barbarossa kneeling
before Pope Alexander III. Titian completed it, altering many
things, and introducing many portraits of his friends and others.
For this he obtained from the Signory an office which is called
the Senseria, which brings in three hundred crowns a year. This
office has usually been given to the best painter of that city,
with the duty of painting from time to time their prince or Doge,
at the price of eight crowns only, paid them by this prince, and
this portrait is afterwards placed in his memory in the palace
of S. Mark's.
The Duke Alfonso of Ferrara had engaged Giovanni Bellini to paint
a picture for a room in his palace, but he had been unable to
comp4te it on account of his age, and Titian there,fore was summoned
to finish it, and for this prince he painted several things, and
was liberally rewarded by him. At this time he formed a friendship
with the divine Ludovico Ariosto, who celebrated him in his "Orlando
Furioso."
After his return to Venice he painted many pictures for the churches,
and among others for the church of S. Rocco he painted Christ
bearing the Cross. This, which many have supposed to be from Giorgione's
hand, has become the chief object of devotion in Venice, and has
received in alms rnore crowns than Titian and Giorgione earned
in their whole life. Bembo, who was then secretary to Pope Leo
X, pressed him to come to see Rome, Raffaello, and others; but
Titian went on putting it off from day to day until Leo and Raffaello
both were dead.
When Pietro Aretino, before the sack of Rome came to stay in Venice,
he formed a great friendship with Titian, which was very useful
to him, for he made him known as far as his pen could reach, and
to princes of importance.
But to return to Titian's works. For the church of S. Giovanni
and S. Paolo he painted an altarp~ece representing S. Peter Martyr
in a wood of high trees, struck down by a fierce soldier, who
has wounded him in the head, and as he lies but half alive you
can see in his face the horror of death, while another friar fleeing
shows signs of fear. In the sky are two angels coming in the light
of heaven, which lights up a beautiful landscape. The work is
the most finished one that Titian ever did.
When the emperor Charles V was in Bologna, Titian, at the suggestion
of Pietro Aretino, was summoned by Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici
to the palace, and painted a very fine portrait of his Majesty
in full armour. Alfonso Lombardi had a great desire to portray
him also, and having no other way of accomplishing it, he begged
Titian to take him in the place of one of the men who carried
the colours, not telling him what he was intending to do. Titian,
like the courteous man he always showed himself, agreed, and took
him with him into the emperor's room. Then, as soon as Titian
had set to work, Alfonso placed himself where he could not be
seen by him, and taking out a little box, he modelled in gypsum
a portrait medallion of the emperor, and had just brought it to
completion when Titian had finished his portrait. When at last
the emperor rose, Alfonso closed the box, and was hiding it in
his sleeve that Titian might not see it, when his Majesty said
to him, "Show me what you have done;" and he was obliged
to put it into his hand. The emperor, having considered it and
praised it much, said, "Have you the courage to do it in
marble?" "Yes, your sacred Majesty," answered Alfonso.
"Do it then," replied the emperor, "and bring it
to me at Genoa." Any one can imagine how strange this seemed
to Titian. I fancy he thought he had compromised himself. But
what must have seemed most strange to him was that his Majesty,
sending him one thousand crowns, bade him give half to Alfonso
and keep the other five hundred himself. Alfonso, applying himself
with the utmost diligence, completed the head so successfully
that it was pronounced a very rare piece of work, and when he
brought it to the emperor, his Majesty gave him another three
hundred crowns.
In the year 1545 he was called by Cardinal Farnese to Rome, where
he found Vasari employed in the hall of the cardinal, and Titian
being recommended to his care, he took him about to see Rome.
And after he had rested some days, rooms were given him in the
Belvedere that he might paint the Pope Paul III, Cardinal Farnese,
and Duke Ottavio, which he completed to their great satisfaction.
Afterwards he painted an Ecce Homo to present to the Pope; but
whatever the cause might be, it did not appear to painters equal
to his other paintings, especially his portraits.
One day Michael Angelo and Vasari went together to see Titian
in the Belvedere, and he showed them a picture he had just painted
of Danae in the shower of gold, and they praised it much. After
they had left him, talking over Titian's work, Buonarroti commended
him greatly, saying that his colour pleased him, but that it was
a mistake that at Venice they did not learn first of all to draw
well, for if this man, he said, were asslsted by art as he is
by nature, especially in imitating life, it would not be possible
to surpass him, for he has the finest talent and a very pleasant,
vivacious manner.
Titian left Rome at length, having received many gifts, particularly
a benefice with good revenues for his son Pomponio. Coming to
Florence, he saw the rare things in that city, and was no less
astonished than he had been at Rome, and so returned to Venice.
But because his works are infinite, especially his portraits,
it is impossible to mention them all. So to speak only of the
most remarkable without order of time. He painted Charles V. many
times, and was at last called to his court that he might paint
him as he was almost in his last years; and so much did he please
that invincible emperor that he would never afterwards be painted
by any other painter, and every time Titian painted him he had
a donative of one thousand crowns of gold. His Majesty also made
him a knight, with a provision of two hundred crowns from the
treasury of Naples. When he painted the portraits of Philip, King
of Spain, and his son Carlos, he received from him a settled provision
of two hundred crowns; so that, adding these four hundred to the
three hundred that he had from the Venetian Signory, he received
seven hundred crowns a year, without any labour for it. He painted
Ferdinand, King of the Romans, and his sons, and the Queen Maria.
But what is the use of losing time in enumerating his portraits?
There is no lord of note or prince or great lady who has not been
painted by Titian; and besides, at different times, he produced
many other works.
It is true that his way of working in his last pictures is very
different from that of his youth. For his first works were finished
with great diligence, and might be looked at near or far, but
the last are worked with great patches of colour, so that they
cannot be seen near, but at a distance they look perfect. This
is the reason that many think they are done without any trouble,
but this is not true. And this way of working is most judicious,
for it makes the pictures seem living.
All these works, with a great many others, which cannot be mentioned
lest I should become tedious, he has completed, having now reached
the age of seventysix. He has been most healthy, and as fortunate
as any one has ever been. In his house at Venice he has received
all the princes, and learned and famous men, who have come to
Venice; for besides his excellence in art, his manners have been
most pleasant and courteous. He has had some rivals, but not very
dangerous ones. He has earned much, for his works have always
been well paid; but it would be well for him, in these his last
years, to work only for pastime, lest he diminish his reputation.
When the present writer was in Venice in 1566, he went to visit
Titian, and found him, old as he was, with his brush in his hand
painting, and he found great pleasure in seeing his works and
talking with him.
Thus Titian having adorned Venice, or rather Italy, and indeed
other parts of the world, with the finest pictures, deserves to
be loved and studied by artists, and in many things imitated,
for he has done works worthy of infinite praise, which will last
as long as illustrious men are remembered.
Source. These texts were at http://ubmail.ubalt.edu/~pfitz/ART/REN/VASARI.HTM,but
vanished from the net, and so they have been restored here.
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors &
architects, by Giorgio Vasari: newly tr. by Gaston du C. de Vere. With five hundred
illustraiions, London, Macmillan and & The Medici society, 1912-15.
Other translations include:
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. The lives of the painters, sculptors and architects. London, J. M. Dent; New York, Dutton [1949-50]).
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors,
and architects. Abridged from the translation by Gaston DuC. DeVere. Edited, with an
introd., by Robert N. Linscott. New York, Modern Library [1959].
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the artists. Selected and translated by
E.L. Seeley. Introd. by Alfred Werner. (New York, Noonday Press, [1965, c1957]).
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the artists; a selection translated by
George Bull. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Eng. : Penguin Books, 1987.
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. The lives of the artists; translated with an
introduction and notes by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella. (Oxford ; New
York : Oxford University Press, 1991.).
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