The Man with the Glove is so called for lack of a more definite name.
Nothing is told by Titian's biographers about the original of the
portrait, and the mystery gives a certain romantic interest to the
picture. Not being limited by any actual facts we can invent a story of
our own about the person, or as many stories as we like, each according
to his fancy.
The sitter certainly makes a good figure for the hero of a romance. He
is young and handsome, well dressed, with an unmistakable air of
breeding, and singularly expressive eyes. Such eyes usually belong to a
shy, sensitive nature, and have a haunting quality like those of some
woodland creature.
The title of The Man with the Glove is appropriate in emphasizing an
important feature of the costume. In the days of this portrait, gloves
were worn only by persons of wealth and distinction, and were a
distinguishing mark of elegance. Though somewhat clumsily made,
according to our modern notions, they were large enough to preserve the
characteristic shape of the hand, and give easy play to the fingers.
They formed, too, a poetic element in the social life of the age of
chivalry. It was by throwing down his glove (or gauntlet) that one
knight challenged another; while a glove was also sometimes a love-token
between a knight and his lady.
The glove has its artistic purpose in the picture, casting the left hand
into shadow, to contrast with the ungloved right hand. The texture of
the leather is skilfully rendered, and harmonizes pleasantly with the
serious color scheme of the composition.
Besides the gloves, the daintily ruffled shirt, the seal ring, and the
long neck chain, show the sitter to be a young man of fashion. Not that
he is in the least a fop, but he belongs to that station in life where
fine raiment is a matter of course, and he wears it as one to the manner
born. His hands are delicately modelled, but they are not the plump
hands of an idler. They are rather flexible and sensitive, with long
fingers like the hands of an artist.
The glossy hair falls over the ears, and is brushed forward and cut in a
straight line across the forehead. The style suits well the open
frankness of the countenance. We must note Titian's rendering of both
hair and hands as points of excellence in the portrait. There is a great
deal of individuality in the texture of a person's hair and the shape of
his hands, but many artists have apparently overlooked this fact. Van
Dyck, for instance, used a model who furnished the hands for his
portraits, irrespective of the sitter. Titian, in his best work, counted
nothing too trivial for faithful artistic treatment.
[Illustration: Picture from Carbon Print by Braun, Clément & Co.
John Andrew & Son, Sc.