The Rape of Europa: The Intriguing History of Titian's Masterpiece

by Charles FitzRoy

Overview

'The Rape of Europa' is one of Titian's great masterpieces, a work charged with eroticism and classical mystique behind which lies a tale as compelling as the painting itself.

Here Charles FitzRoy weaves a unique account of its history and the painting's movement following the rise and fall of the countries in which it has been housed. The story ranges from its place at the court of King Philip II of Spain, through French revolution and English intrigue, to its final move to America, engineered by the brilliant but devious art historian Bernard Berenson.

This is the tale of how Titian's masterpiece has captivated kings, nobles, artists, and lovers alike for over four centuries since its conception and continues to do so today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408192115
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	02/26/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Charles FitzRoy is a direct descendant of Charles II and the uncle of the Duke of Grafton. Educated at Eton and Magdalene College Cambridge, he trained as an art historian under Professor David Watkin. He runs Fine Art Travel Ltd and is a director of art agents Robert Holden Ltd.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements

Introduction
1 Titian
2 Philip II as Ruler and Patron of the Arts
3 The Myth of Europa
4 The Spanish Habsburg and the Alcázar in Madrid
5 The Dukes of Orléans and the Palais-Royal in Paris
6 The Taste for Titian in Nineteenth-Century Britain
7 Isabella Stewart Gardner, Bernard Berenson and the Creation of her Museum
Conclusion

Bibliography
Family Trees of Habsburg and Orléans
Index

Editorial Reviews

This book is not just the history of one of the world's greatest paintings; it brings to life all the stages of its long journey from Venice through Spain, France and England and finally to Mrs Isabella Stewart Gardner's glorious Fenway Museum in Boston - I was fascinated every inch of the way” —John Julius Norwich

“An absorbing account of how a single, highly coveted artefact embodies the zigzags of political power, economic clout and cultural ambition through succeeding ages” —Literary Review

“Takes the reader from the inbred, art-loving Spanish royals of the 16th century to the 500-piece art collection of the dissolute Duke of Orleans who was to lose it - and his head - during the French Revolution, to the wealthy art-buyers of 19th century Britain.” —Independent

From the Publisher

2015-03-17
Trailing the provenance of Titian's greatest work, Fine Art Travel tour leader FitzRoy (The Sultan's Istanbul on 5 Kurush a Day, 2013, etc.) includes short histories of Europe's great powers and lessons in art and art history. This is a chronicle of how politics, economics, and religion affect which art endures and which doesn't. The Rape of Europa survived from its birth in the early 1560s through just a few owners to the present. Philip II of Spain appointed Titian as court artist in absentia (so he could remain in Venice) and commissioned a series of paintings based on the writings of Ovid. The artist transformed the myths into sensual masterpieces, and Rape was the last of the series. The painting's eroticism was punishable under the Inquisition, so Philip and his heirs kept the art in their private quarters. The methods and technique Titian used in executing this work included his use of translucent glazes, layering, and impasto in the areas of light color. His great ability as a colorist, his complex techniques, and his inventive composition ensured his fame and the survival of his works throughout history. FitzRoy exhaustively traces the ownership of the works of Titian and other Renaissance artists through 500 years of European upheaval. The ebb of Spain's glory, the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, the Industrial Revolution in England, and the rise of America's robber barons all influenced the movement of great art, and Titian's masterpiece in particular. Isabella Stewart Gardner purchased the painting in the late 1890s, and it remains to this day in her eponymous Boston museum. Throughout, the author tends to shift his focus from the movement of Titian's paintings to general history, politics, biography, and architecture. Some will prefer more about Titian's work, as this book has too much extraneous information, but it should broaden readers' knowledge of the many other worlds that surround the history of art.

Kirkus Reviews