The ''Eleven Caesars'' was a series of eleven painted half-length portraits of Roman emperors made by

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

in 1536–1540 for Federico II, Duke of Mantua. They were among his best-known works, inspired by the '' Lives of the Caesars'' by

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

. Titian's paintings were originally housed in a new room inside the Palazzo Ducale di Mantova. Bernardino Campi added a twelfth portrait in 1562. The portraits were copied by Flemish engravers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, who added engravings of twelve Roman Empresses. Between 1627 and 1628 the paintings were sold to

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

by Vincenzo II Gonzaga, and when the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

of Charles I was broken up and sold after his execution by the

English Commonwealth The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

, the ''Eleven Caesars'' passed in 1651 into the collection of

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

. They were all destroyed in a catastrophic fire at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid in 1734, and are now only known from copies and engravings.

History

Titian was commissioned in 1536 to paint eleven portraits for the ''Gabinetto dei Cesari'' (sometimes ''Camerino dei Cesari'', "Cabinet of the Caesars"), one room in new suite at the Palazzo Ducale di Mantova designed by Giulio Romano, with décor inspired by ancient history. The suite, the ''Appartamento di Troia'' ("Troy Apartments"), was named after the theme of the main room. Titian's portraits were inspired by

's account of the ''

Lives of the Twelve Caesars ''De vita Caesarum'' (Latin; "About the Life of the Caesars"), commonly known as ''The Twelve Caesars'' or ''The Lives of the Twelve Caesars'', is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire writte ...

'' and informed by Titian's study of ancient medals and busts. The dimensions of the room allowed three portraits on each wall, but a window on the west wall meant that only eleven painting were included in the decorative scheme. Titian's portraits were completed shortly before the death of Duke Federico in August 1540. Romano later added a portrait of the twelfth emperor,

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

, displayed elsewhere. The emperors were depicted in classical poses, wearing armour and flowing draped clothing, accompanied by various objects such as swords and staffs. The series ran clockwise around the top of the room, from

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

on the north wall to

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

on the west wall. Romano added

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s on the ceilings; stucco and niches to frame Titian's paintings; and a series of further paintings on wooden panels as a dado or ''basamento'' around the lower part of the walls, with a scene from the life of each emperor below the relevant portrait. Some of the works by Romano, or his workshop, designed to hang below Titian's portraits are in the British

.Lucy Whitaker, Martin Clayton, ''The Art of Italy in the Royal Collection; Renaissance and Baroque'', pp. 139-145, Royal Collection Publications, 2007, Titian's eleven portraits were copied by Bernardino Campi in 1561 for Francesco Ferdinando d'Ávalos, governor of Milan. To Titian's eleven portraits, Campi added the twelfth Caesar,

, in 1562, after the portrait by Romano. Campi returned to the subject several times, painting at least another four sets for other patrons. Drawings of most of Titian's originals (but omitting the west wall) were made by Ippolito Andreasi for

Jacopo Strada Jacopo Strada (Mantua, 1507 – Prague 1588) was an Italian polymath courtier, painter, architect, goldsmith, inventor of machines, numismatist, linguist, collector, and merchant of works of art. His portrait by Titian has kept his image fami ...

in about 1568. The portraits were engraved by Aegidius Sadeler II and published in Antwerp in about 1593, and then republished by Marcus Sadeler in about 1625. Both were court artists to

Emperor Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–16 ...

in Prague. The engravers added twelve accompanying empresses – eleven wives and

Otho Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etruscan civilization, ...

's mother,

Albia Terentia Albia TerentiaSometimes called Terentia Albia was the mother of the Roman Emperor Otho. She was part of the Gens Terentia, and is described as being "of an illustrious line". Albia Terentia was married to Lucius Salvius Otho. Notes Referen ...

– based on portraits by Giulio Romano. Each engraved portrait is accompanied by a poem in Latin. The engravings are an important source for the details of Renaissance armour, including examples attributed to Filippo Negroli. The Gonzaga collection, including Titian's paintings, was sold by Vincenzo II Gonzaga to

in 1628, but Charles's

was broken up and auctioned under the

. The Titian portraits were sold for £1,200 in 1651 and bought by the Spanish Ambassador Alonso de Cárdenas, acting on behalf Don Luis Méndez de Haro, who gave them to

. Titian's portraits were displayed at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, along with other portraits by Titian and

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

, where the ''Galería del Mediodía'' (the South gallery) became known as the ''Galería de Retratos'' (Portrait Gallery). They were lost in the catastrophic fire that destroyed the Alcázar in 1734.

Gallery

Set of engravings with English commentary, after those of Aegidius Sadeler II (Antwerp c. 1593, and later editions), after the lost paintings by Titian. File:Julius Caesar. Line engraving, after A. Sadeler Wellcome L0049801.jpg,

File:Augustus, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049802.jpg,

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

File:Tiberius, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049803.jpg,

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

File:Caligula, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049804.jpg,

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

File:Claudius, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049805.jpg,

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

File:Nero, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049806.jpg,

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

File:Pompeia, wife of Julius Caesar. Line engraving, 16--, after Wellcome L0050546.jpg, Pompeia, wife of Julius Caesar File:Livia Drusilla, wife of Augustus Caesar. Line engraving, Wellcome L0050547.jpg,

Livia Drusilla Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC AD 29) was Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julia ''gens'' in AD 1 ...

, wife of Augustus File:Vipsania Agrippina, wife of Tiberius Caesar. Line Wellcome L0050548.jpg,

Vipsania Agrippina Vipsania Agrippina (; unknown – 20 AD) was the first wife of the Roman emperor, Emperor Tiberius. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Attica (wife of Agrippa), Attica, thus being a granddaughter of Titus Pomponius Atticus, t ...

, wife of Tiberius File:Milonia Caesonia, wife of Caligula, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050549.jpg, Milonia Caesonia, wife of Caligula File:Aelia Paetina, wife of Claudius, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050550.jpg, Aelia Paetina, wife of Claudius File:Statilia Messalina, wife of Nero, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050551.jpg, Statilia Messalina, wife of Nero File:Galba, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049807.jpg,

Galba Galba ( ; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for 7 months from 8 June AD 68 to 15 January 69. He was the first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors and assumed the throne follow ...

File:Otho, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049808.jpg ,

File:Vitellius, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049809.jpg,

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

File:Vespasian, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049810.jpg,

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

File:Titus, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049811.jpg,

File:Domitian, Emperor of Rome Wellcome L0049812.jpg,

, after Giulio Romano File:Aemilia Lepida, wife of Galba, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050552.jpg, Aemilia Lepida, wife of Galba File:Albia Terentia, mother of Otho, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050553.jpg,

, mother of Otho File:Petronia, wife of Vitellius, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050554.jpg,

Petronia The rock sparrow or rock petronia (''Petronia petronia'') is a small passerine bird in the sparrow family Passeridae. It is the only member of the genus ''Petronia''. It breeds on barren rocky hills from the Iberian Peninsula and western north A ...

, wife of Vitellius File:Flavia Domitilla, wife of Vespasian, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050555.jpg, Flavia Domitilla, wife of Vespasian File:Martia Fulvia (Marcia Furnilla), wife of Titus, Emperor of Wellcome L0050556.jpg, Martia Fulvia (Marcia Furnilla), wife of Titus File:Domitia Longina, wife of Domitian, Emperor of Rome. Line Wellcome L0050557.jpg,

Domitia Longina Domitia Longina ( 50–55 – 126–130s AD) was a Roman empress and wife to the Roman emperor Domitian. She was the youngest daughter of the general and consul Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo. Domitia divorced her first husband, Lucius Aelius Lami ...

, wife of Domitian

References

Sources

* F. Valcanover, ''L'opera completa di Tiziano'', Milano 1969, p. 109
Titian Portraits of Roman Emperors and Empresses
George Glazer Gallery
''The Life of Titian''
Carlo Ridolfi, Penn State Press, 2010, , p.86
''Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Negroli and His Contemporaries''
Stuart W. Pyhrr, Filippo Negroli, José-A. Godoy, Silvio Leydi, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), p.149-152
Giulio Romano, ''Nero playing while Rome burns''
from the Cabinet of the Caesars; Royal Collection

External links

After Tiziano Vecellio, called Titian, First half of the 18th century, A rare set of 24 portraits of Roman emperors and their consorts, in classical poses, dressed in armour and draped clothing, together with the personification of Rome
Alain R. Truong, 1 February 2015
Catalogue of the Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge
Eric Chamberlain, Boydell & Brewer, 1993, , p.31-34

Sotheby's, 25 April 2006
''Notices of the Life and Works of Titian''
A. Hume, John Rodwell and Colnaghi, 1829, p.55-59
The image of "the Twelve Caesars" from Titian to the end of the 17th century: images of military triumph of the Spanish monarchy
Margarita-Ana Vázquez-Manassero, in ''Actual problems of theory and history of art: Sun. researcher articles. 5. ed. S.v. Maltsev, E.y. Stanyukovich-Denisova, A.v. Zakharova. St. Petersburg: NP-print, 2015. S. 655–663. ISSN 2312-2129. https://dx.doi.org/10.18688/aa155-7-71 {{DEFAULTSORT:Eleven Caesers 1530s paintings 1540s paintings History paintings by Titian Lost paintings Gonzaga art collection Paintings of Julius Caesar Paintings of Augustus

History

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

External links