Titian: The Glory (1551-1554)

(Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the famous Italian artist Tiziano Vecelli (1487-1576), better known as Titian. The painting was commissioned by the Holy Roman empeor Charles V. The entire composition of this piece was follows the instructions the emperor gave to the artist and is based upon a passage from the last book of Saint Augustine´s De Civitate Dei ('The City of God') which narrates the celestial vision of the blessed. At the top op the painting is the Holy Trinity - the father, the son and the Holy Spirit (the dove). Slightly below the trinity is the virgin Mary in blue en next to her Saint John the Baptist. Below these 2 on the left side are a wide array of various figures from the Old Testament such as Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David and Ezekiel. On the right side, below the angels with palmsm are members of the imperial family such as the emperor Charles V (kneeling with the crown next to him), his deceased wife Isabella of Portugal, his children Philip and Joanna and his sisters Leonora and Mary. Other figures included are the Italian poet Pietro Aretino (1492-1556), Titian himself and Francisco de Vargas, the Spanish ambassador to Venice. Painting from 1551-1554.