Assumption of the Virgin

Titian 1490–1576

Assumption of the Virgin (c. 1517) by Titian. Its palette is led by charcoal (#201f1d, 18%) and putty (#919084, 14%), with accents of stone, dark sienna, scarlet and dark red. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

Titian built his colors in many layers of glaze over a colored ground, the Venetian way of putting color before drawing. The copper-red hair of his sitters gave English the color name “Titian”.

Palette

#605e53 MG 175 stone 21.5% of canvas
#201f1d MG 222 charcoal 17.5% of canvas
#919084 MG 173 putty 14.4% of canvas
#e7ca88 MG 036 pale gold 12.6% of canvas
#4a2321 MG 145 dark sienna 12.2% of canvas
#a4a8a9 MG 213 light grey 9.2% of canvas
#b47552 MG 024 scarlet 7.1% of canvas
#923026 MG 020 dark red 5.3% of canvas

Color families

Brown 40%, Gray 20%, Black 16%, Yellow 7%, Orange 5%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.52
Contrast: 0.64
Vividness: 0.041
Warmth: +0.97
Complexity: 244 cells
Hue range: 0.57
Focus: 0.17

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the left half, 56% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.54 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 1% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 35% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1517
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 668.0 × 344.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Made in: Republic of Venice
Collection: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice

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More by Titian

Sacred and Profane Love, c. 1514
Venus of Urbino, 1538
Equestrian Portrait of Charles V, 1548
Sleeping Venus, 16th century