An Allegory of Prudence (about 1550-65) by Titian and workshopThe National Gallery, London
In 2014 the National Gallery launched its first-ever online fundraising appeal. The aim of the appeal was to raise the remaining funds required for the purchase of a new frame for one of the Gallery’s most beloved works.
The work in question was ‘An Allegory of Prudence’, painted in about 1550 by Titian.
Titian's visual riddle
The meaning of this painting has been the subject of much debate and is considered one of the most enigmatic amongst Titian’s oeuvre. It has also sometimes been thought to have a personal, perhaps even autobiographical, significance for the artist.
The painting depicts three male heads – each at different stages of life: youth, maturity and old age.
It has been suggested that these heads might represent Titian (left), his son Orazio (centre) and nephew Marco Vecellio (right). However, although the three heads match the relative ages of the three members of Titian’s family fairly-well, they don’t look like them.
The three heads are also paired with three animal heads: the elderly bearded man in the red cap with a wolf; the middle-aged man with a lion; and the young man with a dog.
Titian also includes a Latin inscription in the painting. Just visible at the top, curving round the heads, the text is divided into three parts to correspond to the three heads below.
It translates as: ‘Learning from Yesterday, Today acts prudently, lest by his action he spoil Tomorrow.’
The inscription refers to acting with prudence (showing caution when making judgements). It may be that Titian's painting is an allegory of prudence – giving the painting its title.
An allegory is the portrayal of a subject, hidden in the guise of another. An allegorical painting might include figures which are emblematic of different emotions – for example envy or love – or personifying other abstract concepts, such as prudence.
In Valeriano’s Hieroglyphica, a book published in Venice in 1556, Prudence is represented as a serpent with the heads of a dog, a wolf and a lion – the same animals featured in Titian's painting.
Here are some other examples of representations of an allegory of Prudence in which we see a multi-headed figure.
An Allegory of Prudence (about 1550-65) by Titian and workshopThe National Gallery, London
The composition of 'An Allegory of Prudence' was extensively revised during painting process. The animal heads were added at a late stage and the human heads above are painted with varying degrees of finish.
Such variety of finish is not unusual for Titian, yet some have suggested that a studio assistant may have worked on the painting, especially on the rightmost man's head and the animals. Whether this is this case, the painting has a striking sculptural quality and intensity.
Reframing 'An Allegory of Prudence'
The painting was presented to the National Gallery in 1966 - but the frame in which it was then hung is very different from the one seen around the painting today (pictured here).
It was thought that the original frame, most likely French or Italian and dating to the 17th century, crowded the composition and flattened the painting.
The old frame is shown here on the left, alongside an image of the new frame, in the National Gallery Annual Review from 2015-16.
An Allegory of Prudence (about 1550-65) by Titian and workshopThe National Gallery, London
The Gallery's first-ever online public appeal
The search began for a new frame that would be more suitable to the painting and more accurate to the time and place in which 'An Allegory of Prudence' was painted. In 2014 the Gallery launched its first-ever online public appeal to raise funds to acquire a new frame.
This was the first time that the Gallery had directly involved the public in the acquisition of a new frame. The five-month online campaign generated donations from over 200 generous individuals.
A new frame was purchased thanks to a private gift and the generosity of the public. It was made in Venice (where ‘An Allegory of Prudence’ was painted) around the same time as the painting was made and is almost exactly the right size.
It can be easy to overlook the significance and influence that a frame can have on our perception of a painting, but the reframing of Titian's 'An Allegory of Prudence' reminds us just how impactful frames can be to our experiences of the paintings within them.
