''Alfonso d'Avalos Addressing his Troops'' (Spanish: ''Alocución del Marqués del Vasto'') is a portrait of

Alfonso d'Avalos Alfonso d'Avalos d'Aquino, 6th Marquis of Pescara, 2nd Marquis of Vasto (1502 – 31 March 1546), was an Italian condottiero of Aragonese origins, renowned for his service in favor of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. Biography He ...

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), ...

, painted in around 1540 and now held at the

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...

in Madrid, Spain. Alfonso d'Avalos, Marquise del Vasto, was a noble

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

, descended from a family of Castilian origin. He participated in the

Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, ...

and the conquest of Tunis in 1535. In 1538 he was appointed governor of Milan. Military failures caused a subsequent falling out of favor with the Emperor Charles V. This work is both a portrait of the Marquis del Vasto and a picture of history narrating an incident that occurred in 1537. The Spanish troops stationed in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

began an attempted mutiny over not receiving their pay, but the conflict was suppressed by the Marquis' eloquent speech to the men that inspired loyalty and guaranteed their pay given patience. He, having to leave for affairs elsewhere, left his son with the troops as a guarantee they would be paid. The marquis contracted

to paint the scene, depicting his son as a page holding his helmet for him during the speech. The composition is based on classical models, such as the reliefs of the Arch of Constantine and numerous Numismatic works. Titian features the General in an elevated position, addressing his men, and emphasizing his words, as advised classical oratory manuals, with elevation of the right arm. The work was commissioned in 1539 by the Marquis himself, during a trip to Venice. His first public exhibition was in Milan during 1541, taking advantage of the visit of Emperor Charles. It was subsequently acquired by the Gonzaga family, the Dukes of Mantua, and finally by King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after ...

. When this King was executed his assets were auctioned, and the painting (like others of the same king) was acquired by

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...

. In 1828

Fernando VII Ferdinand VII ( es, Fernando VII; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was a Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. He was known to his supporter ...

ceded it to the collection to the

References

Portraits by Titian Paintings by Titian in the Museo del Prado 1540 paintings {{16C-painting-stub

See also

References