Giorgione and Titian's Sleeping Venus: The First Reclining Nude in Western Art
Created between 1508 and 1510, Giorgione's Sleeping Venus is an oil painting on canvas that measures 175 cm by 108.5 cm. It is housed in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany. Commissioned by Girolamo Marcello as a wedding present, this artwork features a reclining nude, marking the earliest depiction of such since Roman times. Giorgione passed away in 1510 at the age of 30 due to bubonic plague, with Titian finishing the piece. The authorship is contested, with many attributing Venus to Giorgione and the surrounding landscape to Titian. X-ray analysis uncovered a baby Cupid originally positioned at Venus's feet and indicated that her face had been repainted. The painting reflects the poesia tradition of the Venetian School, influencing later works like Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538).
Key facts
- Sleeping Venus was painted 1508–1510 and is held at the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany
- The oil on canvas measures 175 cm wide and 108.5 cm high
- Girolamo Marcello commissioned the work as a wedding gift for his 1507 marriage
- It is considered the first known reclining nude in Western painting since Roman antiquity
- Giorgione died in 1510 at age 30 from bubonic plague, leaving Titian to complete the painting
- A restorer painted out a baby Cupid in 1837, a detail confirmed by 20th-century X-ray images
- X-rays showed Venus's face was originally painted in profile before being changed to full-frontal
- The landscape echoes Veneto's contours while evoking the ancient district of Arcadia
Entities
Artists
- Giorgione
- Giorgio da Castelfranco
- Titian
- Diego Velázquez
- Francisco Goya
- Edouard Manet
- Girolamo Marcello
Institutions
- Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
- Uffizi Gallery
- National Gallery
- Museo Nacional del Prado
- Musée d'Orsay
- DailyArt Magazine
Locations
- Dresden
- Germany
- Venice
- Italy
- Veneto
- Florence
- London
- UK
- Madrid
- Spain
- Paris
- France
- Arcadia
- Peloponnesus
- Greece