TheEleven Caesars was a series of eleven painted half-length portraits ofRoman emperors made byTitian in 1536–1540 forFederico II, Duke of Mantua. They were among his best-known works, inspired by theLives of the Caesars bySuetonius. Titian's paintings were originally housed in a new room inside thePalazzo Ducale di Mantova.Bernardino Campi added a twelfth portrait in 1562.
The portraits were copied by Flemish engravers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, who added engravings of twelve Roman Empresses. Between 1627 and 1628 the paintings were sold toCharles I of England byVincenzo II Gonzaga, and when theRoyal Collection of Charles I was broken up and sold after his execution by theEnglish Commonwealth, theEleven Caesars passed in 1651 into the collection ofPhilip IV of Spain. They were all destroyed in a catastrophic fire at theRoyal Alcázar of Madrid in 1734, and are now only known from copies and engravings.
Titian was commissioned in 1536 to paint eleven portraits for theGabinetto dei Cesari (sometimesCamerino dei Cesari, "Cabinet of the Caesars"), one room in new suite at thePalazzo Ducale di Mantova designed byGiulio Romano, with décor inspired by ancient history. The suite, theAppartamento di Troia ("Troy Apartments"), was named after the theme of the main room. Titian's portraits were inspired bySuetonius's account of theLives of the Twelve Caesars and informed by Titian's study of ancient medals and busts. The dimensions of the room allowed three portraits on each wall, but a window on the west wall meant that only eleven painting were included in the decorative scheme. Titian's portraits were completed shortly before the death of Duke Federico in August 1540. Romano later added a portrait of the twelfth emperor,Domitian, displayed elsewhere.
The emperors were depicted in classical poses, wearing armour and flowing draped clothing, accompanied by various objects such as swords and staffs. The series ran clockwise around the top of the room, fromJulius Caesar on the north wall toTitus on the west wall. Romano addedfrescos on the ceilings; stucco and niches to frame Titian's paintings; and a series of further paintings on wooden panels as adado orbasamento around the lower part of the walls, with a scene from the life of each emperor below the relevant portrait. Some of the works by Romano, or his workshop, designed to hang below Titian's portraits are in the BritishRoyal Collection.[1]
Titian's eleven portraits were copied byBernardino Campi in 1561 forFrancesco Ferdinando d'Ávalos, governor of Milan. To Titian's eleven portraits, Campi added the twelfth Caesar,Domitian, in 1562, after the portrait by Romano. Campi returned to the subject several times, painting at least another four sets for other patrons.
Drawings of most of Titian's originals (but omitting the west wall) were made byIppolito Andreasi forJacopo Strada in about 1568. The portraits were engraved byAegidius Sadeler II and published in Antwerp in about 1593, and then republished byMarcus Sadeler in about 1625. Both were court artists toEmperor Rudolf II in Prague. The engravers added twelve accompanying empresses – eleven wives andOtho's mother,Albia Terentia – based on portraits byGiulio Romano. Each engraved portrait is accompanied by a poem in Latin. The engravings are an important source for the details of Renaissance armour, including examples attributed toFilippo Negroli.
The Gonzaga collection, including Titian's paintings, was sold byVincenzo II Gonzaga toCharles I of England in 1628, but Charles'sRoyal Collection was broken up and auctioned under theEnglish Commonwealth. The Titian portraits were sold for £1,200 in 1651 and bought by the Spanish AmbassadorAlonso de Cárdenas, acting on behalf DonLuis Méndez de Haro, who gave them toPhilip IV of Spain.
Titian's portraits were displayed at theRoyal Alcázar of Madrid, along with other portraits by Titian andTintoretto, where theGalería del Mediodía (the South gallery) became known as theGalería de Retratos (Portrait Gallery). They were lost in the catastrophic fire that destroyed the Alcázar in 1734.
Set of engravings with English commentary, after those ofAegidius Sadeler II (Antwerp c. 1593, and later editions), after the lost paintings by Titian.
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