The Worship of Venus by Titian, 1518. Recorded on January 15, 2025

Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) Pieve di Cadore, 1490 - Venice, 1576

Titian´s first contribution to the Camerino d´Alabastro in the Ducal Palace in Ferrara was prompted by the death in October 1517 of Fra Bartolommeo from whom Alfonso d´Este had commissioned a 'Worship of Venus' one year previously and for which Fra Bartolommeo submitted a sketch. In April 1518, Titian received instructions on the subject matter and format of the work along with a drawing, probably that by Fra Bartolommeo. In October 1519 Titian personally brought his painting to Ferrara, Italy.

Inspired by Philostratus, as Ridolfi already noted in 1648, 'The Worship of Venus' was Titian´s first attempt to recreate an Antique painting, which probably explains his close adherence to the text, following it down to the smallest compositional and even chromatic details: 'Look at the cupids gathering apples. Don´t be surprised at how many there are. They are the children of the Nymphs and govern all mortals, and there are many of them because there are many things beloved by man [...] Can you smell something of the fragrance of the garden or has it not reached you? [...] Here there are some avenues of trees with enough space to stroll between them, and a soft lawn bordering the paths, laid out like a bed for anyone who wants to take a sleep on it. Hanging from the tips of the branches, golden, red, and yellow apples invite the whole crowd of cupids to collect them'. This ekphrasis continues with an explanation of some of the elements, 'such as the hare, an animal associated with Venus, who has a certain capacity of erotic persuasion and her chase has come to be a drastic method of winning the love of her favourites', or the mirror, which is part of the offering made by the nymphs to Venus for 'having made them mothers of the cupids'.

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