Jacopo Pesaro, Bishop of Paphos, being presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter

Jacopo Pesaro Being Presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter, painted around 1504 and now in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, is among Titian's earliest documented works — a commission from the same Bishop Pesaro who would later commission the revolutionary Pesaro Madonna for the Frari church, making these two paintings a remarkable documentation of the evolution of Titian's style across twenty years. The Antwerp painting commemorates Pesaro's role as commander of the papal fleet at the Battle of Santa Maura in 1502, depicting him being presented by Alexander VI Borgia to Saint Peter — a controversial choice of intercessor given Alexander's notorious reputation. The painting shows the young Titian still operating within the conventions of Giovanni Bellini's workshop, the figures carefully posed in the static, iconic manner of the older master. Twenty years later, the same patron would receive from the same painter the most dynamically revolutionary altarpiece in the Renaissance — documenting an artistic evolution as dramatic as any in the history of European painting.

The composition reveals the young Titian still working in the Bellinesque tradition, with precise drawing and enamel-like surfaces, though the bold color relationships already hint at his future direction.

Now in the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, this early Titian was commissioned to celebrate Jacopo Pesaro's victory at the Battle of Santa Maura (1502). The painting has undergone significant restoration over the centuries. The canvas has been relined and cleaned, though the work's early date and complex history make precise assessment of original versus restored passages challenging.