Pope Paul III peers directly at the viewer, as he holds a document in his right hand. He is seated in three-quarter pose, donning the camauro or cap. The wall behind him opens upon a turbulent landscape to the right, which Titian has rendered with subtle luminosity. This composition is similar to Titian’s earlier Portrait of Pope Paul III Without Cap (ca. 1543). <br>It is possible that this painting is a replica of the first portrait of Paul III without the cap. Here, Paul III seems to be older, with Titian’s brushtrokes applied with a lighter hand. It may have been commissioned by Cardinal Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora (1518-1564), who was the son of Costanza Farnese and grandson of Paul III.
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Titian" class="extiw" title="w:en:Titian"><span title="Italian painter (c.1490-1576)">Titian</span></a>
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