Charles V with Hound (1533). Oil on canvas. 194 x 113. The Portrait of Charles V with a Dog is a portrait of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor with a hunting dog, painted by Titian in 1533. It passed from Charles to the Spanish royal collection, from which it passed to its present owner, the Prado. It is a copy or reinterpretation of a portrait of Charles painted in 1532 by Jakob Seisenegger. That portrait was natural but had not pleased its subject and so during his stay in Bologna in 1533 Charles paid Titian 500 ducats to paint a new version of it. This new version is similar to its predecessor but completely transforms its composition, stylising Charles' body by increasing the size of the fur wrap, decreasing the size of the doublet, raising the position of the eyes and lowering the horizon to make Charles fill the space. He is also shown approaching the viewer and the space around him has been emptied and simplified, with warmer colours than in the original. It later inspired Goya's 1799 Charles IV in his Hunting Clothes.
more...