Tarquin and Lucretia

For other uses, see Tarquin and Lucretia (disambiguation).
Tarquin and Lucretia
ArtistTitian
Year1571
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions188.9 cm × 145.1 cm (74.4 in × 57.1 in)
LocationFitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Loose or unfinished variant in Vienna, perhaps by Titian, 114 × 100 cm (44.9 × 39.4 in)
The Bordeaux version or copy, showing variations in the poses of the figures

Tarquin and Lucretia is an oil painting by Titian completed in 1571, when the artist was in his eighties, for Philip II of Spain. It is signed, and considered to have been finished entirely by Titian himself. It is one of a series of great works from Titian's last years,[1] but unlike some of these, is fully finished. It is now in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.[2]

The story from early Roman history (or legend) of the rape of Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius (Tarquin), and her subsequent suicide, was a popular subject in Renaissance art. Tarquin raped Lucretia after threatening to kill her if she rejected his advances; this is the moment shown here. The next day she exposed him and committed suicide, prompting the Romans to revolt and overthrow Tarquin's father Tarquin the Proud, the last king of Rome, and establish the Roman Republic. This is traditionally dated to 509 BC.[3] Violent subjects are characteristic of Titian's last years, mostly drawn from mythology or religion, but the directness of this composition stands out among them.[4]

The refinement of the poses of the figures is reflected in other contemporary versions of the painting. By this late stage in his career, Titian often took many years over paintings, setting them aside for long periods, only returning to them later. This painting is fully finished, and had been in progress for several years. As one of the latest documented and fully finished paintings by Titian, it is evidence for the much-debated question of whether other late Titians were ever finished or not.[5]

  1. ^ Martineau, 227–233; Jaffé, 150–179; Freedberg, 510–518
  2. ^ Martineau, 229–230
  3. ^ Martineau, 229–230; Fitzwilliam "Stories and Histories; The Rape of Lucretia"
  4. ^ Steer, 136, 138–144; Freedberg, 515–518
  5. ^ Martineau, 227–228, 230–232; Steer, 138–144; Jaffé, 59, 152–153, 162, 165, 172, 174, 178; Rosand, 58–59