Nudity at it's extreme....

Titian, Venus of Urbino
1530

• Interpretations vary
• Some rely solely on the allegory of lustful or sensual love
• This would have no other desire than to show a beautiful, sensual woman on her bed.
• Others saw it as an allegory of marital love and fidelity
• This was an attempt to explain the picture in a general sense and deconnect it with any other outside circumstances
• Others connect it to concrete peoples
• It would represent either the wedding gift of prince Guidobaldo della Rovere, Giulia Varano da Camerino (when she was ten....not likely....)
• Or the wide of Francesco Maria della Rovere, Eleanora Gonzaga, shown on the 13th anniversary of their wedding. 
• NONE of these are convincing arguments

• Could have been done after one of the love sonnets done by one of the greatest poets of the Italian renaissance, Vittoria Colonna, which was written after the death of her husband Ferdinando Francesco D'Acalos, marquis of Pescara

"That Sun who swept away the clouds for me
who made the day bright wherever I was,
who fed me with sweet dreams and noble aims:
I paid for these, and now my days are dark.
I welcomed the tears and sighs when he glanced
at me serenely--how handsome he was ...
I dwelt gratefully by his side, his wise words
quieted my fears, and now the dark returns.
Courage has died, lost are all the virtues,
the noblest minds have lost heart and in the
ensuing havoc wander bewildered.
When he vanished from this world also fled
the old beliefs and yearning to do right,
and I exiled from every good forever."
Vittoria Colonna
            -That Sun Who Swept Away the Clouds for Me

• White sheets symbolize purity and the crimson bed symbolizes love
• There is not s look of joy on the woman's face
• But it is not that of sadness, either
• It could just be a ploy to grab the viewer's attention
• She is holding some roses, which also symbolize love
• They are, however, beginning to wither and fall over, and one has actually fallen off
• The pattern of the black flowers appear on the crimson bed
• The flower falling from the bouquet can symbolize love which has been physically interrupted by the death of one of the lovers
• On her right hand, which is on the pillow, there is a gold bracelet with black enamels
• The visible ear has a en earring with a large pearl on it.
• This can be seen as a symbol of passing as well
• It can refer with other meaningful elements, the theme is passing love as well as the passing of human love
• Her hand rests on her womb, impeding access
• In the midst of all of the sensuality of the piece her covering herself presents chastity in the circumstances
• The center is broken by a black vertical edge
• This leads straight to the ring, and the covering of the womb, which would bring us to a greater understanding of the underlying meaning of the piece
• Her belly is more round than in most of his paintings, meaning she could be pregnant
• The green and red drapes would lead us to believe that there is a deceased man, but also that he was loved by her deeply and also that she hopes for yet another love
• This however would not take away from her loyalty, beauty, and magnificence, which existed within the marital love
• On the right side, the dog represents faithfulness, of marriage
• The sleep of the dog, however, symbolizes death

• There is the black plant pot, which symbolizes love
• The sky appears on both sides of the vase, as it to say that the dead went away into the sky to enter a new life, which is visible in the tree which is just outside the window
• Two figures appear in the background
• The one kneeling is in white, which symbolizes innocence
• There is a half open chest in which the maid is either placing something or taking something out
• On the right of the chest, there is a black gown
• The maid has a dress over her shoulder
• This could mean that she is either, about to put on the black dress, and start mourning, or she is about to put on the new dress, and end her time of mourning

But then again, that is all one interpretation!

thanks,
Ry