The ''Portrait of Charles V'' is an oil on canvas portrait of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...
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 ...
, painted in 1548. As with the ''
Equestrian Portrait of Charles V'', it was commissioned by Charles during Titian's stay at the imperial court at
Augsburg
Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
. It is now in the
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pin ...
in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, Germany.
It shows Charles V seated on a chair to the left, facing the viewer, with his black robes contrasted with the red carpet and gold tapestry behind him. In the right half of the painting is a landscape, barely sketched in, in light colours.
Lambert Sustris
Lambert Sustris (c. 1515/1520 – c. 1584) was a Dutch painter active mainly in Venice. The works Sustris completed in Italy exhibit either a Mannerist style or qualities that may be deemed proto-Baroque. He is also referred to as ''Alberto de ...
may have painted the landscape, and possibly even the whole painting in Munich;
In his 2014 book ''
World Order
In international relations, international order refers to patterned or structured relationships between actors on the international level.
Definition
David A. Lake, David Lake, Lisa Martin (political scientist), Lisa Martin and Thomas Risse d ...
'',
Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...
writes of the painting: "The effort to fulfill his aspirations inherent in his office was beyond the capabilities of a single individual. A haunting portrait by Titian from 1548 at Munich's Alte Pinakothek reveals the torment of an eminence who cannot reach spiritual fulfillment or manipulate the, to him, ultimately secondary levers of hegemonic rule."
[
]
During his stay in Augsburg, Titian painted two portraits of Charles V: this seated portrait and the
equestrian portrait
An equestrian portrait is a portrait that shows the subject on horseback. Equestrian portraits suggest a high-status sitter, who in many cases was a monarch or other member of the nobility, and the portraits can also carry a suggestion of chivalry ...
. Titian described imperial Augsburg as the glory of the world and told his friend
Lorenzo Lotto
Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Renaissance painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpie ...
that he was surrounded by all the favours of the court and of the Emperor.
See also
*
List of works by Titian
This incomplete list of works by Titian contains representative portraits and mythological and religious works from a large oeuvre that spanned 70 years. (Titian left relatively few drawings.) Painting titles and dates often vary by source.
Lis ...
Bibliography
* Andrew John Martin, ''"Titianus. F." Il Ritratto di Carlo V seduto dell'Alte Pinakothek di Monaco'', in "Studi Tizianeschi. Annuario della Fondazione Centro studi Tiziano e Cadore", Numero V, 2007, pp. 76–96.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of Charles V
Portraits by Titian
Collection of the Alte Pinakothek
1548 paintings
16th-century portraits
Cultural depictions of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Portraits of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Oil on canvas paintings