A further explanation is that he sough to cover up a bald spot. The portrait is in half length, with Titian in three-quarters profile view, seated behind a table, looking out into the distance. Although his expression is complex and hard to properly interpret, it can be viewed as a more outward looking and optimistic expression the 1567 Madrid self-portrait, and a number of art historians note the aging and physical decline he had undergone by the time of the later work. As with all of his independent self-portraits, he is looking to the side, avoiding the viewer, possibly out of humility, but in a dignified pose. He is shown with strong shoulders and a keen, alert gaze, in which some detect an air "of combativeness...disquietude...and misgiving". Unlike the Madrid canvas, the portrait does not refer to his occupation as a painter, although art historian David Rosand believes that "instead of an implement of his craft, however, the open brushwork itself declares the painter's art". Further, the emphasis on his hands may reference that as a painter his talent derived from them. That the canvas is unfinished gives insight into Titian's working methods and techniques. Provenance The painting was acquired by the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin from the English Solly collection in the early 1820s. References Notes Sources Jaffe, David, et al. In: Titian. London: National Gallery London, 2003. Kaminski, Marion. Titian. Ullmann, 2007. Nichols, Tom. "Titian and the End of the Venetian Renaissance". Reaktion Books, 2013. Partridge, Loren. "Art of Renaissance Venice, 1400 1600". University of California Press, 2015. Phillips, Claude. Titian. New York: Parkstone, 2016. Richter, George Martin. "Two Titian Self-Portraits". The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 58, No. 337, 1931 Rosand, David. "Titian Draws Himself". Artibus et Historiae, Vol. 30, No. 59, 2009 Tsaneva, Maria. "Titian: 130 Paintings and Drawings". Lulu Press, 2014. 1540s paintings Titian Titian, Berlin Paintings in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin Titian, Berlin Unfinished paintings