Portrait of Titian

In the 1580s, Venice was a frequent destination of Agostino’s travels. Over a decade, he demonstrably visited the city on the lagoon four times. During these journeys, he studied the rich artistic tradition, reproducing as prints some of the paintings of the 16th−century Venetian masters. Agostino sought inspiration chiefly in the paintings of Paolo Veronese. By contrast, he executed only one engraving after a painting by Titian. The print was inspired by Titian’s self−portrait dated to 1550–1562 (now in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). The engraving became one of the most famous prints by Agostino Carracci. Art connoisseurs admired the extraordinary talent with which he rendered not only the silk vest and fur coat, but above all the intense emotional expression of the artist’s face.