Why it matters
Venus looks at herself in a mirror, in a pose borrowed from ancient statues such as the Venus de' Medici. It is believed to be the earliest of Titian's versions and the only one entirely by his own hand.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1555.
- X-rays show that Titian painted it over an abandoned double portrait, keeping one figure's red cloak.
- It stayed in his house until his death in 1576.
- Rubens and Van Dyck both copied it.
Based on the Wikipedia article Venus with a Mirror (CC BY-SA 4.0).
