Portrait of a Lady in White

Portrait of a Lady in White is a c.1561 painting by Titian of an unknown gentlewoman dressed in white; it is now in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.

Portrait of a Lady in White
Artist	Titian
Year	c.1561
Location	Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

Speculation about the sitter has ranged from a young bride to a prostitute or some family member of the artist.[1] Detailed analysis of her jewelry, dress and hairstyle may give more clues, as does the fan she is carrying. It has long been assumed that Titian had depicted his daughter Lavinia in her bridal gown. However, she married six years before this painting was created, and his fourth child and other daughter, Emilia, didn't marry for another seven years. Titian probably created an ideal image of feminine beauty and used a model that he also used in other paintings. The painting was copied by Peter Paul Rubens, and a similar painting is also in the collection at Dresden.

Other portraits of women by Titian:

• 
  Portrait of a Lady by Titian, c. 1555
• 
  Portrait of Hurrem Sultan, c. 1550
• 
  Portrait of the artist's daughter Lavinia in 1545
• 
  Portrait of the artist's daughter Lavinia in 1560-65

Copies:

• 
  Copy by Rubens, c. 1614
• 
  1660 engraving of a lost portrait by Titian
• 
  Copy of a lost portrait by Titian, c. 1650
• 
  Miniature copy after the lost Titian

The painting was lent to the Columbus Museum of Art in 2018, and to the Norton Simon Museum in 2019.[2][1]

References

1. Who Was The 'Lady In White'? Titian Painted A Mystery Masterpiece, interview on NPR, February 2019
2. Titian’s Lady in White on show from August 31, 2018 – December 9, 2018 on CMOA website