Titiaan en zijn maitresse before 1644

Anthony van Dyck made this print, "Titian and his mistress," sometime in the first half of the 17th century. It depicts the aging master Titian with a younger woman, likely a model or mistress. The inclusion of a skull suggests a meditation on mortality, typical of the era. Van Dyck worked in Antwerp and England at a time when artists were increasingly aware of their social status and historical legacy. This print, like others from the period, reflects a growing interest in the lives and legends of great artists of the past, especially those from the Italian Renaissance, like Titian. The print's dedication to a patron, Luca van Uffel, speaks to the networks of patronage and influence that shaped artistic production during this time. Van Dyck presents himself as part of a lineage of artistic greatness. To fully understand this artwork, one might consult period biographies, letters, and institutional records to trace the circulation of such imagery and its role in shaping artistic reputations. After all, the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.