16th Century Art

  • Portrait of a Lady (La Bella) (1536-1538)

    Portrait of a Lady (La Bella) (1536-1538)

    Titian (Italian, c. 1488-1576)

    A woman in rich blue silk gazes past the viewer, her hand resting lightly on her fur-trimmed robe. Gold embroidery glints against deep fabric folds, framing her serene yet distant expression. The play of light on pearls and velvet draws the eye, hinting at untold stories behind her composed demeanor.

  • Sibylle of Cleves (1526)

    Sibylle of Cleves (1526)

    Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553)

    A poised noblewoman gazes from the canvas, her intricate headdress framing a face of quiet resolve. The rich fabrics and delicate jewelry speak of status, yet her direct stare holds something unreadable—a hint of defiance beneath the expected decorum of 16th-century German aristocracy.

  • Portrait of the Humanist Giovanni Paolo Cornaro (1561)

    Portrait of the Humanist Giovanni Paolo Cornaro (1561)

    Jacopo Tintoretto (Italian, unknown)

    A Venetian nobleman gazes from the shadows, his fur-lined robe rich against the dark. Intelligence lingers in his steady eyes, a scholar’s quiet confidence. The light catches his ring—a flash of gold—hinting at influence beyond the frame.

  • Mary Magdalene (1540-50)

    Mary Magdalene (1540-50)

    Moretto Da Brescia (Italian, 1492–1554)

    A woman kneels in contemplation, her gaze turned inward. The light catches her flowing hair and the jar beside her—hints of a story untold. Rich fabrics drape around her, but it’s the quiet intensity in her posture that holds the eye. This is a moment suspended between devotion and mystery.