Seguace di Tiziano Vecellio (1490 - 1576)

Follower of Titian Vecellio (Pieve di Cadore 1490 - Venice 1576) - Portrait of Emperor Julius Caesar (Rome 100 BC - 44 BC), inscribed at the top C. IVLIVS. CAESAR - Portrait of Emperor Octavian Augustus (Rome 63 BC - 14 AD), inscribed at the top OCTAVIANUS II ROM IMP 17th century Oil on canvas, 65 x 50 cm, with frame 81 x 68 cm Complete details of the proposed works: https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotto/tiziano-vecellio-seguace--ritratti-imperatori The Latin writer Suetonius with his work 'De vita Caesarum' (and in particular with its vernacular translation of 1543, edited by the Florentine scholar Paolo del Rosso) inspired Titian Vecellio who, in 1537, painted the portraits of the eleven emperors for Duke Federico II of Gonzaga, decorating the walls for a small room of the Ducal Palace of Mantua, later known as the Gabinetto dei Cesari. These effigies were intended to establish the link between the new era and classical antiquity with its glories, as well as to celebrate the value and wisdom of the rulers, who perceived themselves, in their lordships, as valiant new emperors. Titian's paintings soon became enormously popular, and many patrons and lords of the time, including Ferdinando d'Avalos, Marquis of Pescara and Governor of Milan, or Vespasiano Gonzaga, turned to the workshop of Bernardino Campi from Cremona to commission their own version of the series. Since Titian's originals were purchased by Charles I of England and then donated by him to the Spanish ambassador Alonso De Cardenas, who took them to Madrid where they were destroyed in the fire of the Alcazar in 1734, it is therefore mainly thanks to the numerous replicas by Campi and his numerous followers and pupils, and by other authors active between the 16th and 17th centuries, that the original works are known to us today. Our pair of works, depicting the busts of two of the emperors who wrote the history of the Roman Empire, Gaius Julius Caesar (Rome 100 BC - 44 BC) and Octavian Augustus (Rome 63 BC - 14 AD), therefore belongs to one of these numerous subsequent series of reproductions, and in particular they open up to the inclinations of his most direct followers, primarily to the expressive choices of Giovan Battista Trotti known as the Malosso, his favorite disciple, and also Andrea Mainardi known as the Chiaveghino and Raffaele Crespi, father of Cerano. The paintings are in good condition. Like all our objects, the work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive sheet.