Impressive old master drawing by Titian. Very nice old frame.
Dimensions: 20 x 13 cm
Frame: yes
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) was born in Pieve di Cadore, a small town at the foot of the Dolomites on the Venetian side of the Alps. The Vecellios had been based in Cadore since the 14th century. Titian's father, Gregorio, was a military man. His older brother Francesco was also a painter. There is still no documentary evidence of Titian's exact date of birth, but contemporary sources and his early stylistic development suggest that he was born around 1490.
When he was about 10 years old, Titian arrived in Venice, then one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
Titian started his artistic training in the workshop of the mosaicist Sebastiano Zuccato. He later briefly joined Gentile Bellini's workshop. After Gentile's death in 1507, Titian joined the workshop of Gentile's brother, Giovanni Bellini, which at that time was the most important in Venice.
However, it was through contact with Giorgione, who had also previously trained in Giovanni Bellini's workshop, that he mainly developed his early style. The Giorgionesque appearance of Titian's early work, which is characterised by a pastoral mood, is proof of their closeness. In 1508-9 they worked together on the decoration of the external walls of the 'Fondaco dei Tedeschi' in Venice. The parts executed by Titian were greatly praised by contemporaries, much to the annoyance of Giorgione.
After Giorgione's death in 1510, and Sebastiano del Piombo's departure to Rome in 1511, Titian launched his independent career in Venice. He was now left without rivals among his generation who could compete at his level.
