TITIANO, or TITIAN, the most universal genius for painting of all the Lombard school, the best colourist of all the moderns, and the most eminent for histories, portraits, and landscapes, was born at Cadore, in the province of Friuli, in the state of Venice, in 1477. His parents sent him at ten years of age to one of his uncles at Venice, who finding that he had an inclination to painting, put him to the school of Giovanni Bellino, where he greatly improved himself, by his endeavouring to excel Giorgione his fellow-disciple, and became the greatest colourist ever known. He designed with much greater ease than Giorgione. Some of his women and children, says du Fresnoy, are admirable both for the design and colouring; they are in a delicate and noble gusto, with a certain pleasing negligence of the head-dresses, draperies, and ornaments of
of the habits peculiar to him. However, the figures of his men are designed but moderately well, and some of their draperies are mean. His painting is wonderfully glowing, sweet, and delicate. He made portraits that were extremely noble; the attitudes being very graceful, grave, and adorned after a becoming manner. Nobody ever painted landscapes with so great a manner, so good a colouring, and with such a resemblance of nature. For eight or ten years he took the pains to copy with great exactness whatever he performed, in order to obtain an easy method, and to establish some general maxims for his future conduct. Besides his excellent gusto in colours, in which he excelled all mankind, he perfectly understood how to give every thing the touches most proper and suitable to it, such as distinguish them from each other, and which give the greatest spirit and the most of truth. He was, however, censured by Michael Angelo Buonarroti for want of correctness in design, a fault common to all the Lombard painters who had not been acquainted with the antiques, yet that defect was abundantly supplied by his being master of all the other parts of an accomplished artist.
Titian made three portraits of the emperor Char. V. who honoured him with knighthood, created him count palatine, made all his descendants gentlemen, and assigned him a considerable pension out of the chamber of Naples. It is said this emperor one day took up a pencil that Titian dropped when drawing his picture; and that upon the compliment made him by the artist on this occasion, he replied, "Titian deserves to be served by Cæsar." In short, some of that emperor's courtiers being unable to conceal their jealousy on the visible preference he showed to Titian's person and conversation, the emperor told them, That he could never want courtiers, though he might a Titian. He accordingly loaded him with wealth; and whenever he sent him money, he did it with this obliging observation, That it was not to pay him the value of his pictures, because that was above all price. Titian also painted that emperor's son Philip II. Solyman emperor of the Turks, three kings, two empresses, several queens, two popes, and almost all the princes of Italy; and so great was his reputation, that there was hardly a person of any eminence in Europe from whom he did not receive some marks of esteem; for being of an obliging and generous temper, his house at Venice was the constant rendezvous of all the virtuosi and people of quality. He was of so happy a constitution, that he was never ill till the year 1576, when he died of the plague, at 99 years of age. His disciples were Paulo Veronese, Giacomo Tintoret, Giacomo de Ponte Bassano, and his sons.
Horatio, Titian's youngest son, painted several portraits that might stand in competition with those of his father. He was also famous for many history-pieces, which he executed at Venice in concurrence with Paul Veronese and Tintoret: but, bewitched at last with alchemy, he laid aside his pencil, and, in search of the philosophers' stone, converted all his paternal inheritance into smoke.