Man with a Glove

Man with a Glove is a 1520 painting by Italian Renaissance artist Titian which was once part of the extraordinary art collection of Charles I of England

This portrait painting would later fall into the ownership of Louis XIV of France and from their made its way to the Musée du Louvre in Paris, where it still remains today. This particular portrait is relatively low key, with an elegant but understated outfit and a similarly subtle pose for the subject.

Titian uses very few colours in this artwork, no bright blues or reds, just grayscale tones plus his usual tones of flesh. The subject wears a leather glove in his left hand which was considered a particularly fashionable statement at that time and stands out in an otherwise relatively straight forward attire.

There has been some discussion as to the model for this piece, but without any clear agreement. Names such as Girolamo Adorno, Giambattista Malatesta and Ferrante Gonzaga have all been mentioned as possibly the subject of the painting but, many centuries later, we are highly unlikely to ever discover who it is we see in this personal portrait painting from Titian.

An interesting aspect beyond the leather glove that he is wearing is that a second glove is held in the same hand. It is probable that Titian asked him to remove his right hand glove and hold it in order to openly display the right hand, complete with eye catching gold ring. Perhaps the artist wanted to display this and build an impression of wealth in an otherwise subtle work.

The Louvre, where this painting resides, is the most visited art museum in the world and holds over 7,000 items of interest. It's main focus with painting is with French and North European artists but you will also find plenty of Venetian artists such as Titian included here too.