''Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Bembo'' is a 1539-1540 oil on canvas painting of by

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

, now in the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

History

The arm's position parallel to the frame and to the edge of the cape gives volume to the figure, making it akin to a sculptural bust from ancient Rome or by Titian's contemporary

Alessandro Vittoria Alessandro Vittoria funerary monument - San Zaccaria, Venice Alessandro Vittoria (1525–1608) was an Italian Mannerist sculptor of the Venetian school, "one of the main representatives of the Venetian classical style" and rivalling Giamb ...

. It is believed that Bembo himself commissioned the work in October 1539, before his transfer from Rome to Venice. The commission was probably to mark his appointment as cardinal in March 1539. The work is also probably that mentioned by the cardinal in a letter of May 1540. Titian had already painted Bembo on at least one occasion in ''Portrait of Pietro Bembo as an Old Man''. The painting was given to

Leone Galli Leone may refer to: Geography *Leone, American Samoa *Monte Leone, mountain in the ''Leone-Gruppe'' as part of Western Alps *Sierra Leone, independent nation in West Africa Leone as a given name * Leone Battista Alberti (1404–1472), Italian R ...

and was recorded in Rome in 1636 as part of cardinal

Antonio Barberini Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts an ...

's collection. It later passed to

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

and remained in family collections in Rome until 1890 when the art dealer

Elia Volpi Elia is a name which may be a variant of the names Elias, Elijah, Eli or Eliahu, and may refer to: People * Aelia (gens) or Elia, a ''gens'' of Ancient Rome Mononymic * Elia or Elijah, a biblical prophet * Elia, a pen-name of Charles Lamb First ...

handled its acquisition for P. & D. Colnaghi & Co. In 1906 it was acquired by Charles M. Schwab of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, passing to the Kress collection in 1942 and being acquired by its present owner in 1952. Cecilia Gibellini (2003). Rizzoli, ed. ''Tiziano.'' I Classici dell'arte. Milano.

References

{{16C-painting-stub

Bembo Bembo is a serif typeface created by the British branch of the Monotype Corporation in 1928–1929 and most commonly used for body text. It is a member of the " old-style" of serif fonts, with its regular or roman style based on a design cut a ...

1540 paintings

Collections of the National Gallery of Art