Power and Painting in Sixteenth-Century Ferrara: Titian's Portraits of Alfonso I d'Este

Around 1525, Titian (Tiziano Vecellio, ca. 1488–1576) painted the likeness of Alfonso I d'Este of Ferrara (1475–1534). The duke, attired in stunning furs, brocades, and jewels rests his arm on one of his famous cannons. The portrait so enchanted Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500–1558) that he requested it as a gift, and a slightly different replacement image was commissioned. This article examines the genesis and significance of these little-studied court portraits, in which the twin personae of the condottiere and magnificent diplomat-prince were cleverly conflated. Alfonso had survived two decades of almost constant threats to his state, and the portraits celebrate his resiliency. This study also considers Titian's portrait of the duke's plebeian mistress, Laura Dianti (ca. 1500–1573), whose image visually complements that of her noble lover in an unprecedented manner. I argue that Laura's image functioned to extend the ducal identity to express his passion for beautiful painting and his engagement with contemporary art theory.