Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle

Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle was, in 1548, one of the architects of Habsburg imperial policy, a bishop who would later become cardinal and Philip II's principal minister in the Netherlands, and whose collection of paintings included major works by the most important artists of the day. Titian painted this portrait at the Diet of Augsburg, the imperial gathering where Charles V convened the princes of the empire to resolve the religious conflicts of the Reformation. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art portrait demonstrates how the Augsburg visit of 1548 concentrated an extraordinary range of political talent before Titian's eyes: in that single stay he also painted Charles V on horseback and portraits of other leading Habsburg figures. Granvelle's open hand, the direct posture, the quality of restrained intelligence — these are the qualities that Titian identified as markers of secular power, as distinct from the spiritual authority he rendered differently in portraits of clerics and popes. The Augsburg period produced some of Titian's most searching psychological character studies.

Titian renders the churchman-statesman with subtle psychological acuity, the watchful eyes and composed expression suggesting the diplomatic intelligence for which Granvelle was known. The rich ecclesiastical vestments are painted with sumptuous handling of fabric textures, while the face is modeled with precise, carefully blended brushwork. The warm, golden tonality that suffuses the entire canvas is characteristic of Titian's mature Venetian palette.

This portrait from 1548, painted during the Diet of Augsburg, has been conserved over the centuries. The dark background and costume have darkened further with age, but the face retains its keen characterization. The canvas has been relined and the surface carefully cleaned.