Man with a Glove

Main with a Glove

Artist	Titian
Year	c. 1520-1523
Type	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	100 cm × 89 cm (39 in × 35 in)
Location	Louvre Museum, Paris

The Man with a Glove is an oil-on-canvas portrait by the Italian Renaissance artist Titian c. 1520-1523. It is currently housed in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. It is signed Ticianus f. on the marble slab on the lower right corner.

History

The work originates from the Gonzaga family's collection at Mantua. It was acquired by Charles I of England in 1627. Sometime after his beheading in 1649, the painting was auctioned and bought by the French banker Eberhard Jabach. Eventually it came in the position of Louis XIV of France, and was transferred from the Palace of Versailles to the Louvre in 1792.

The figure has not been identified with certainty. He could be Girolamo Adorno, mentioned in a 1527 letter from Pietro Aretino to Federico Gonzaga, or Giambattista Malatesta, an agent of the Gonzaga in Venice. According to another hypothesis, he could be Ferrante Gonzaga, who was sixteen years old in 1523.

Description

The painting portrays a three-quarters view of a male figure set against a flat black background. He appears to be looking at an indefinite point to the left of the canvas, with his left arm laid on a marble slab. He is dressed in a wide jacket and a white shirt, in the fashion of the period. The man's left hand holds a leather glove; an accessory used by the most refined gentlemen of the time. His right hand is adorned with a golden ring, a symbol of richness, and a necklace decorated with a sapphire and a pearl.

The portrait differs from the work of Titian's master Giorgione, in the removal of the use of a parapet in portraits.

References

• Rosand, David (1978). Titian. Library of Great Painters. New York: Harry N. Abrams. 126–27. ISBN 0-8109-1654-1
• Museo del Prado dispay caption. Accessed 18 July 2010.

External links

• Display caption at the Musée du Louvre.(French)