The most illustrious of Titian's many patrons was the Emperor Charles
V., whose wife was the Empress Isabella of our portrait. This powerful
monarch had inherited from one grandfather, Ferdinand, the kingdom of
Spain, and from another, Maximilian, the empire of Germany. His marriage
was arranged chiefly for political reasons, but proved to be a happy
one.
Isabella was the daughter of Emmanuel the Great, late King of Portugal,
and the sister of John III., the reigning king. She was a princess of
uncommon beauty and accomplishments. The Portuguese government bestowed
a superb dowry of nine hundred thousand crowns upon her, and the
marriage was celebrated in Seville in 1526. The ceremony was splendid,
and there were great festivities following.
Soon after, the emperor travelled with his bride through Andalusia and
Granada that he might see his new kingdom. Called at last to other parts
of his dominion, he left Isabella as regent in Spain, and went to Italy,
where in 1532 he first called Titian into service to paint his portrait.
In the years that followed the painter found the emperor a constant and
generous patron, and was frequently summoned to meet the court at
various places. In the meantime, however, the lovely empress never had
had a sitting to the first painter of the day. She stayed quietly at
home and had her portrait painted by such inferior artists as were at
hand.
When she died in 1539 Charles was left disconsolate, without any
satisfactory portrait of her beloved face. He accordingly sent to Titian
a portrait of her painted at the age of twenty-four, and required him to
use it as the basis of a picture. The painter obeyed, and soon sent, his
royal patron two canvases, begging him to return them with criticisms if
he wished any changes made. As they were never sent back we infer that
Charles found them as much like the original as could have been
expected. The fame of Isabella's beauty and goodness had of course come
to the painter's knowledge, and this was perhaps a better inspiration
than the old portrait which was his guide. Certainly the picture he
produced shows a winning personality.
The empress is seated near a window, holding a little book open in one
hand, probably a prayer-book or Book of Hours. The lady is not reading,
but gazes somewhat pensively before her, as if thinking over the
familiar words. The face is gentle and refined, and has an innocent
purity of expression like that of a child.
[Illustration: Picture from Carbon Print by Braun, Clément & Co.
John Andrew & Son. Sc.