Equestrian Portrait of Charles V
Titian · 1548
The story
Equestrian Portrait of Charles V (also Emperor Charles V on Horseback or Charles V at Mühlberg) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Titian. Created between April and September 1548 while Titian was at the imperial court of Augsburg, it is a tribute to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, following his victory in the April 1547 Battle of Mühlberg against the Protestant armies.
The portrait in part gains its impact by its directness and sense of contained power: the horse's strength seems just in check, and Charles' brilliantly shining armour and the painting's deep reds are reminders of battle and heroism. According to Hugh Trevor-Roper, he "does not exult in his victory. He is staid, controlled, pensive, but serene". Titian recorded all of the foreground elements—the horse, its caparison, and the rider's armour—from those used in the actual battle. Both the armour and harness survive, and are kept at the Royal Armoury in Madrid. It was in the Spanish royal collection until transferred to the Museo del Prado in 1827.
- Artist
- Titian
- Date
- 1548
- Collection
- Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Movement
- Venetian school
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Size
- 335 × 283 cm
Story adapted from the Wikipedia article and its contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.
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