His
Family
Titian’s
family relations appear to have been happy, except as regards
his eldest son, Pomponio. This youth, at the age of six, was
launched upon the ecclesiastical career; but he proved wasteful
and worthless, and Titian at last got so disgusted with him that
he obtained the transfer to a nephew of a benefice destined for
Pomponin. The fortune which lie left was, after his decease,
squandered by the teissured prodigal. The other son, Orazio,
born
towards 1528, who (as we
have seen) assisted Titian professionally, became a
portrait-painter of mark—some of his likenesses, almost
comparable with Titian’s own, being often confounded with his
by owners and connoisseurs. He executed an important picture in
the hall of the great council, destroyed by fire. He gave to
alchemy some of the time which might have been bestowed upon
painting.
Several other
artists of the Vecelli family followed in the wake of Titian.
Francesco Vecelli, his elder brother, was introduced to painting
by Titian (it is said at the age of twelve, but chronology will
hardly admit of this), and painted in tbe church of S. Vito in
Cadore a picture of the titular saint armed. This was a
noteworthy performance, of which Titian (the usual story) became
jealous; so Francesco was diverted from painting to soldiering,
and afterwards to mercantile life. Marco Vecelli, called Marco
di Tiziano, Titian’s nephew, born in 1545, was constantly with
the master in his old age, and, learned his methods of work. He
has left some able productions—in the ducal palace, the ‘
Meeting of Charles V. and Clement VII. in 1529 “; in S.
Giacomo di Rialto, an “Annunciation “; in SS. Giovani e
Paolo, “ Christ Fulminant.” A son of Marco, named Tiziano
(or Tizianello), painted early in the 17th century.
From a
different branch of the family came Fabrizio di Ettore, a
painter who died in 1580. His brother Cesare, who also left some
pictures, is well known by his book of engraved costumes, Abiti
antichi e moderni. Tommaso Vecelli, also a painter, died in
1620. There was another relative, Girolamo Dante, who, being a
scholar and assistant of Titian, was called Girolamo di Tiziano.
Various pictures of his were touched up by the master, and are
difficult to distinguish from originals. Apart from members of
his family, the scholars of Titian were not numerous; Paris
Bordone and Bonifazio were the two of superior excellence. El
Greco (or Domenico Theotocopuli) was employed by the master to
engrave from his works. It is said that Titian himself engraved
on copper and on wood, but this may well be questioned.
Titian was considered one of the founders of modern day portraiture. Love Portraits has more information on portrait paintings
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