''La Schiavona'' ('the woman from

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

'), also known as ''Portrait of a Lady'', is a 1510–1512 portrait 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 ...

of an unknown woman.

Identity of the sitter

The painting was being referred to as ''La Schiavona'' before the beginning of the seventeenth century. However, this name is traditional, given to the painting by someone in recognition of the style of her dress and her physiognomy. In reality, the lady portrayed would have been part of the nobility of the time, with a costume compatible with that of the wealthy women of the territories controlled by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. Some people have tried to identify the woman as

Catherine Cornaro Catherine Cornaro (; or ; ; 25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, also holding the titles of Queen of Jerusalem and Queen of Armenia. She became queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to James II of ...

, a hypothesis without any confirmation. Previously assigned to

Giorgione Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco (; 1470s – 17 September 1510), known as Giorgione, was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, ...

, the painting is today commonly accepted as a youthful masterpiece by Titian; further evidence is provided by the absence of the modulated sweetness of the painter from Castelfranco Veneto, replaced rather by a pulsating vitality. There are also close similarities with the woman protagonist of the ''Miracolo del neonato'', a Paduan fresco by Titian dating back to 1511.

Description

This composition was drastically rehandled by Titian somewhere about the year I540, the face and neck and the red drapery being entirely repainted, with the result that the colour is now rather dead and Heavy. The subject is shown three-quarter length against a plain grey background. Her curvaceous form is portrayed with exceptional realism and accuracy, and is accentuated by the wide drapery of her earth-coloured dress. The body is rotated slightly, while the head looks frontally at the viewer, in a pose of remarkable naturalness and ease. What appears to be the same woman is seen in relief (inspired by ancient cameos) on a raised section of the parapet. The lower part of the parapet is original, though the raised section appears to be a revision by Titian himself, with the drapery painted under it still being visible through subsequent layers of paint. The painting is signed TV on the parapet, which probably stands for Tiziano Vecellio.

History

The portrait was presented to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

in London in 1942 by Sir Francis Cook, Bt, in memory of his father Herbert, via the

Art Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...

– it is still in the Gallery's collection, as NG5385. From October 2009 to January 2010, ''La Schiavona'' was loaned to the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds to be shown as part of an exhibition called "Sculpture in Painting".

References

Bibliography

* Francesco Valcanover, ''L'opera completa di Tiziano'', Rizzoli, Milano 1969.

External links