Ranuccio Farnese
1541–1542 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
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About this work
- Artist
- Titian (c. 1488–1576)
- Year
- 1541–1542
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 89.7 × 73.6 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- Movement
- Renaissance
A boy of twelve with close-cropped dark hair stands half-length against a dark ground, in a rose-pink slashed doublet under a heavy black cloak bearing the white cross of the Knights of Malta, one hand at his sword hilt and the other holding a glove. He is Ranuccio Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III and fourth son of Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma and commander of the papal armies; the cross marks his place in the order. Titian painted the portrait in 1541–1542, and it was one of his first commissions from the Farnese, who became important patrons. A letter from Ranuccio's elder brother, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, records it, and it was commissioned by Bishop Cornaro as a gift for the boy's mother, Gerolama Orsini. It is signed TITIANVS F. The portrait is listed in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome in 1644, later hung in Parma and, from 1734, in the Bourbon collection in Naples, then passed through English collections before the Kress Foundation gave it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington in 1952.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A boy in a rose-pink doublet and black cloak with a white Maltese cross against deep brown, for a study, hallway or library at 24×36 in black. A charcoal, oxblood or warm grey wall; it pairs with The Laughing Cavalier.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Renaissance painting
- Era
- 16th century (1541–1542)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room, dorm 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
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 Ranuccio Farnese in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Ranuccio Farnese painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
