Charles V Standing with His Dog

This portrait is the earliest surviving example of a series of portraits Titian painted of Emperor Charles V. It was almost certainly painted in Bologna in 1533, for numerous sources describe the emperor’s clothing at this time as being very similar to what he is shown wearing in the painting. It is generally accepted that in this picture Titian was copying a portrait made by the Austrian artist Jakob Seisenegger, though there have also been suggestions that the opposite is the case. Titian projects his subject’s masterful personality more convincingly, however, by focusing on the Emperor’s height, choosing a lower viewpoint and restricting ambient space.