Hardly an artist was celebrated for his portraits as much as Titian. Emperors, dukes, noblemen and rich clients were portrayed by the Venetian Renaissance painter (around 1488-1576). The Lady in White is one of his most graceful portraits, but also one of his most mysterious. After its restoration, the masterpiece is now being shown in an exhibition in Dresden for the first time. The difficult work steps of the restorer are illuminated just as the painting techniques of the artist.
The Lady in White asks many questions. Her identity is unknown: Is she Titian's daughter Lavinia or an illegitimate child? Is his mistress depicted or an ideal of female beauty? The exhibition looks into these questions in the context of Venetian portrait painting, shown are paintings from Venice and Northern Italy, i.e. from Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Leandro Bassano. Only for this exhibition have works from the storage of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister been brought to light.
A different section deals with the meaning of the colour white in the fashion of this time: Is the Lady's dress a wedding gown? What does the fan in her hand embody? Who wears such jewellery? Historic dresses and accessories and one of the rarely preserved flag fans convey the sensual appeal of this kind of fashion.
