Portrait of Titian

Description

Agostino Carracci likely saw Titian’s self-portrait painting in Venice (now Gemäldegalerie, Berlin), and having captured the luxurious textures of fur and fabric, Agostino produced an engraving that may be his most famous print. The work is known in at least four different states, all pulled from the same copper plate. They ranged from the first, before lettering was added, to the present impression with its dedication to a Bolognese Cardinal and the addition of a date at the bottom; to the third state with text added at the top; to the fourth, reworked probably posthumously, to eke out a few more printings.

Portrait of Titian

Agostino Carracci

1587

Accession Number

77881

Medium

Engraving on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/plate/sheet: 32.4 × 23.2 cm (12 13/16 × 9 3/16 in.)

Classification

engraving

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.