Artwork
Portrait of a Young Woman
Portrait of a Young Woman is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Titian. It dates from 1536 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is an unidentified young adult woman, likely representing idealized femininity rather than a specific individual. The portrait, painted by Titian in 1536, belongs to the Hermitage Museum's collection and was created in Italy; its composition emphasizes graceful posture and delicate features typical of Renaissance portraiture.
Technique & Style
The work measures 96 cm in height by 75 cm in width, a vertical format well suited to a half-length portrait of a young adult woman.
Portrait of a Young Woman is an oil painting executed on canvas, a support consistent with Titian's Venetian practice of the 1530s. The work measures 96 cm in height by 75 cm in width, a vertical format well suited to a half-length portrait of a young adult woman. Its classification as a painting and its genre designation as a portrait are confirmed across the sources, and the canvas support is explicitly attributed to the work in the Wikidata record.
No further details regarding specific pigments, ground preparation, brushwork, layering technique, current condition, or stylistic analysis are provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1536, as indicated by its documented inception date in the Hermitage Museum’s records.
It entered the museum’s holdings as part of its permanent collection, where it remains located in Hall 221. The work is attributed to Titian, with its creation situated in Italy during the mid-16th century.
Overview
Created in 1536, this oil portrait by Titian belongs to the later phase of the Venetian Renaissance, a period often associated with Mannerist tendencies. The work depicts an unnamed young woman rendered with a delicate balance of light and colour, and it is currently part of the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Context
At the time of its execution, Titian was an established figure whose career spanned more than sixty years. This painting exemplifies his later portraiture, where he combined courtly elegance with a naturalistic approach, aligning with the broader shift toward individualized representation that characterised high Renaissance portraiture in Venice.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Tiziano Vecellio (Italian:; c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( TISH-ən), was an Italian Renaissance painter. The most important artist of Renaissance Venetian…
