Portrait of Titian

Agostino Carracci likely saw Titian’s self-portrait painting in Venice (now Gemäldegalerie, Berlin), and having captured the luxurious textures of fur and fabric, Agostino produced an engraving that may be his most famous print. The work is known in at least four different states, all pulled from the same copper plate. They ranged from the first, before lettering was added, to the present impression with its dedication to a Bolognese Cardinal and the addition of a date at the bottom; to the third state with text added at the top; to the fourth, reworked probably posthumously, to eke out a few more printings.