Portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo(?)/ A Man with a Quilted Sleeve

Give the index card for A Man with a Quilted Sleeve

Portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo(?)/ A Man with a Quilted Sleeve, Titian, 1510, oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

Give the elements for a thumbnail sketch of this painting

• Man with longish brown hair

• Shown in profile

• Wearing a white undershirt and an enormous purple/blue quilted sleeve

• Black cloak wrapped around the side further from the viewer

• Flat, dark background

• Right arm is leaning over a parapet

• Looking at the viewer

• Gold chain above his shirt

How old is Titian thought to have been when he painted this, and why?

• Titian is thought to have painted this when he was in his early 20s

• Early in his career, Titian was most in demand as a portrait painter

Who was the subject of this painting first thought to be?

• Ludovico Ariosto, author

• It was then thought to be a self portrait

Who is it now identified as?

• Gerolamo Barbarigo

• The grandson of a doge, who may have helped Titian to secure other commissions

Why is Gerolamo relatively unadorned?

• He possibly wasn’t old enough to hold a major political position yet, so there are no symbols

• However, his sleeve was very expensive and ostentatious

What kind of clothing is the figure wearing?

Domestic

Is there much colour variation?

• No

• The colours are heavily blocked

Is the figure relaxed or tense?

• Relaxed

• He leans comfortably on the parapet

• His relaxed posture conveys wealth and self-assurance, and suggests a sense of contemplation

How is the figure shown, and where is he looking?

• He is shown in profile

• He is looking slightly downwards, at the viewer

Was the inclusion of a parapet typical in Italian portraiture?

• Yes

How did was Titian an innovator in Italian portraiture of this kind?

• The figure engaged with the parapet, instead of using it as an elevated border

How does the figure’s clothing convey status?

• Although the silk quilting is understated, it is hugely expensive, as it would have been made by hand

• Overly large sleeves suggest luxury and leisure through their impracticality

• The subtle gold chain just above the collar also suggests wealth

Is colour used to heighten a sense of status?

• Not particularly

• The blue of his sleeve is cool and subtle

How does Titian create a sense of solidity?

Through the triangular composition

How does Titian create a lustrous effect?

Through his use of pink underpainting, with blue on top

How is a quilted texture created?

It is painted on in red/pink

How does Titian create points of contrast?

He uses blocks of colour

How did the artist create the bright white of the shirt?

With lead white

What is the effect of the sitter’s black cloak?

It blurs the line between the sitter and the background

What is the combined effect of the sitter’s hair, facial hair, muff and cloak?

They frame him in darkness, drawing attention to his face and sleeve

How does Titian create a trompe l’oeil effect?

By signing his name on the parapet, as if it is carved on

How does the figure’s pose subvert expectations?

It changes the interaction with the space, as he observes the viewer

What is the effect of the viewer’s slightly raised eyebrow?

It is situated in the middle of the canvas and draws the viewer in, as well as being slightly interrogatory and perhaps amused

Which two parts of the painting are the most detailed? What does this suggest?

• The areas around his eye and neckline

• This suggests that the artist is attempting to emphasise his gaze and clothing

What is the technique that cause his hair and cloak to blend into the background?

• Sfumato technique

• This could create a sense of mystery

Who is this painting influenced by?

• An early painting by Giorgione

• Giorgione was very influential on Titian’s early style

What is this painting’s effect on the greater canon?

• This format became a very popular format for self portraits, and was emulated by Rembrandt

Give a quotation by Linda Murray on the painting’s effect and its influences

The “use of the elite parapet to set the figure into space, the softness of the modelling, the enveloping quality of the light, stems from Giorgione.”

Give a brief critical quotation by the National Gallery on this pose

“This novel and effective pose”

Give a quote by Gombrich on why Titian’s portraits were so popular

“He gave them the conviction that through his art they would go on living.”

Give a brief quote by Vasari on Titian’s early work

“His first paintings are executed with a certain delicacy and incredible diligence.”

What is Gayford’s opinion on the provenance of this piece?

It “could be by no one else”

According to Gayford, what is “the Titian effect”?

“An almost hallucinatory evocation of the sensuous feel and lustrous surface of things”