Titian, Portrait of Girolamo Fracastoro
ca 1528Paintings sorted by   Historical period  |   Painter  |  Subject matter  |  Pigments used
Overview
Medium:Â Oil
Support: Canvas
Size: 84 x 73.5 cm
Art period: High Renaissance
Titian, ‘Portrait of Girolamo Fracastoro’ shows the famous medical doctor who was known for identifying syphilis and also as an astronomer, mathematician and poet.
The pigment analysis reveals a very limited palette with coal-black and lead white as the main pigments.
Pigments
Pigment Analysis
This pigment analysis is based on the work of the scientists at the National Gallery London (1). The scientists employed IR-reflectography (IRR),  x-radiography (XRR) and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to gain insights into the inner layers of the painting and to identify the pigments.
1Â Black costume: coal-black.
2 Lynx fur: lead white with some black.
3Â Dark door: coal-black
References
(1) Jill Dunkerton and Marika Spring, with contributions from Rachel Billinge, Kamilla Kalinina, Rachel Morrison, Gabriella Macaro, David Peggie and Ashok Roy, Titian’s Painting Technique to c.1540, National Gallery Technical Bulletin, volume 34, 2013, pp. 4-31. Available as pdf. Catalog part II pp. 78-81. Available as pdf.
Pigments Used in This Painting
Resources
See the collection of online and offline resources such as books, articles, videos, and websites on Titian in the section ‘Resources on Painters‘
PowerPoint Presentations
Painter in Context: Titian
A richly illustrated presentation on the Venetian Renaissance painter Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)Â containing information on painting technique, pigments employed, and important written and online resources.
Number of slides: 23
Formats included in the download: PowerPoint Screen Presentation (ppsx) and pdf
Publications and Websites
Publications
(1) Jill Dunkerton and Marika Spring, with contributions from Rachel Billinge, Kamilla Kalinina, Rachel Morrison, Gabriella Macaro, David Peggie and Ashok Roy, Titian’s Painting Technique to c.1540, National Gallery Technical Bulletin, volume 34, 2013, pp. 4-31. Available as pdf. Catalog part II pp. 78-81. Available as pdf.
(2) Jill Dunkerton, Jennifer Fletcher, and Paul Joannides, A portrait of ‘Girolamo Fracastoro’ by Titian in the National Gallery, The Burlington magazine 155(1318):4-15
