Venus with a Mirror
c. 1555 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
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About this work
- Artist
- Titian (c. 1488–1576)
- Year
- c. 1555
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 124.5 × 105.5 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- Movement
- Renaissance
Venus, wrapped below the waist in a dark red velvet cloak embroidered with gold, turns to her reflection in a mirror held up by one Cupid while a second reaches to crown her with a wreath; her pose recalls classical statues of the goddess that Titian could have known. He painted it in Venice in about 1555. Of the several versions of the subject from his studio, this is believed to be the earliest and the only one entirely by his hand, and he kept it in his house until his death in 1576. X-rays show that he painted it over an abandoned double portrait, reusing the red cloak of one of its figures. In 1581 his son sold the contents of the house, including this picture, to Cristoforo Barbarigo, whose family kept it until 1850, when it was bought for Tsar Nicholas I and the Hermitage. The Soviet government sold it to Andrew W. Mellon in 1931, and it entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington in 1937.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Venus in deep red velvet and gold turning to a mirror held by two Cupids, warm and glowing against dark green, for a bedroom, dressing room or bathroom at 24×36 in black. A deep red, terracotta or warm white wall; it pairs with The Toilet of Venus (The Rokeby Venus).
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Renaissance painting
- Era
- 16th century (c. 1555)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Venus with a Mirror in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Venus with a Mirror painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.























