Vandalized N37

Giuliano de' Medici (1479–1516), Duke of Nemours

Workshop of of Raphael

This painting is an early copy of a portrait by Raphael of Giuliano de Medici, Pope Leo X's younger brother. Giuliano sat for his portrait so that it could be sent to Philiberte of Savoy, the aunt of Francis I of France, to whom he had become engaged. As the couple had not yet met the portrait gave her an idea of his appearance. The match was a political one. Pope Leo was hoping to cement the alliance between the French and the papacy. Portraits were often included in the diplomatic arrangements of such dynastic marriages.

Venus and the Lute Player

Titian

Venus, the goddess of love, interrupts her music making to be crowned with a wreath of flowers by Cupid. An admiring, well-dressed youth playing the lute—the quintessential instrument for love madrigals—gazes at her raptly. In the background nymphs and satyrs dance to the music of a shepherd. Titian and his followers were known for capturing the complex personalities of female subjects. In this painting, Venus is more than an object of desire. In her devastatingly confident pose, she becomes a symbol of the power of women over men. Titian painted this amatory theme multiple times. This one was left unfinished except for the landscape background, which is fully painted by the artist.