Portrait of Laura Dianti
Portrait of Laura Dianti is a c. 1520-25 painting by Titian, now held in the H. Kisters Collection at Kreuzlingen. It is signed "TICI/ANVS F." The portrait features Laura Dianti, mistress, and later wife of the Duke of Ferrara Alfonso I d'Este and an African page. She is dressed in a blue dress with her hand placed on the shoulder of her page as he looks up at her. The painting is possibly associated with a portrait of Alfonso I d'Este. It is also controversial in that it was used to contest the legitimacy of the pair's marriage after the duke's death. It traveled through many locations and was initially thought to be one of many copies until a restoration uncovered a signature by Titian.
Description The painting depicts a woman with brown hair wearing an ornate headpiece made of cloth and jewels and earrings in the shape of a teardrop pearl. Her gaze looks directly at the viewer. At the center of the headpiece lays a small brooch with the appearance of a figure draped in a red garb. Her dress is a sweeping satin-like blue adorned with delicate gold embellishments and white layered sleeves of a chemise that drapes through to her wrist. Across her chest lays a golden colored sash that goes around to her back. The woman's hand is placed on the shoulder of a small African child as he looks up towards her in response to her touch. The child is dressed in a colorful jacket of yellows, oranges and greens with a green sash tied at the waist. He is wearing a curled gold earring. In his hands, he holds a pair of gloves. The background of the painting is a warm darkness that has a soft illumination around the figures, but does not portray any specific location.
This piece is commonly thought to be a companion piece to the Portrait of Alfonso I d'Este, as evidenced by the similar composition. When displayed next to each other, both figures would face inward towards one another and they both portray a similar sense of balance. Laura leans on an African page boy while Alfonso leans into a piece of military artillery. This theory is contested, however, by the fact that the two portraits are differently sized with the Portrait of Laura Dianti being the larger canvas.