1537 (ca.), Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Portrait of Francesco Mari I della Rovere -- Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
From the museum label: The Duke of Urbino (1490-1538) wears German armour and holds the sceptre with the Lion of St. Mark in his capacity as Captain General of the Republic of Venice. Behind him we see a helmet with a crest, and on the opposite side, the batons of command that marked his career as a general: the one with the lily recalls his command of the Florentine army, the one with an oak branch alludes to his efforts to revive the della Rovere fortunes; the gilded baton with the crossed keys and papal tiara refers to his post as captain of the papal troops. Conceived as an example of the "perfect captain", the picture is a masterpiece by Titian, such as the portrait of his wife Eleonora Gonzaga (on display here). It is painted in the 1530s, when he devoted considerable time and energy to painting portraits of men in armour.
1537 (ca.), Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Portrait of Francesco Mari I della Rovere -- Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
From the museum label: The Duke of Urbino (1490-1538) wears German armour and holds the sceptre with the Lion of St. Mark in his capacity as Captain General of the Republic of Venice. Behind him we see a helmet with a crest, and on the opposite side, the batons of command that marked his career as a general: the one with the lily recalls his command of the Florentine army, the one with an oak branch alludes to his efforts to revive the della Rovere fortunes; the gilded baton with the crossed keys and papal tiara refers to his post as captain of the papal troops. Conceived as an example of the "perfect captain", the picture is a masterpiece by Titian, such as the portrait of his wife Eleonora Gonzaga (on display here). It is painted in the 1530s, when he devoted considerable time and energy to painting portraits of men in armour.