Allegory of Prudence

The Allegory of Prudence is one of Titian's most debated paintings, and its interest lies in how it packs a reflection on the passage of time into a single image. Against a dark ground, three human heads turn in different directions, and beneath them sit three animal heads: from left to right, a wolf, a lion and a dog. The most widely held reading sees the human figures as the three ages of man, from old age through maturity to youth, a theme Titian had already treated decades earlier. The direction of each gaze adds a second layer, that of time divided into past, present and future.

Light reinforces this idea. It falls brightly on the youthful face, fades across the middle-aged one and sinks almost into shadow on the old man, so that the picture seems to make the course of a life visible. The animals extend the argument, since various cultures associate them with particular stages: the dog with the learning of youth, the lion with the strength of maturity and the wolf with the loneliness of old age, according to one possible reading of their attitudes.

The title comes from a barely legible inscription above the portraits, which in Latin says that the present acts prudently, drawing on the experience of the past, so as not to spoil future actions. It has been suggested that the faces represent the aged Titian, his son Orazio and his nephew Marco Vecellio, both of whom worked in his workshop, and that the work may relate to the handing down of his property. This identification remains uncertain, however: Nicholas Penny is sceptical, and no portraits of Orazio or Marco are known against which to compare the figures.

Other interpretations have also emerged. One understands the picture as an allegory of sin and penitence, in which the painter acknowledges that the imprudence of his youth and middle age left him a regretful old age. Another, in contrast, argues that the prudence gained through experience is essential to artistic judgement, and that old age does not prevent creative achievement. The painting is held by the National Gallery in London, to which it was given in 1966.

Painter

Titian

Date

1550

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

76 × 68 cm

Museum

National Gallery, London

Movement

Venetian school

Genre

allegory

Depicts

middle-aged man, Marco Vecellio, lion, dog, young adult man, wolf, Titian, Orazio Vecellio

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