The Danae series of paintings, created between 1544 and 1560 in the studio of the Italian painter Vecellio Titian, includes six fairly frank and world-famous works.
Currently, the paintings are considered masterpieces of fine art, but few people know that they were most likely based on the very inappropriate fantasies of a Catholic cardinal.
Danae. Titian, 1544-1546.
Despite the fact that the myth of Princess Danae who gave birth to a child to the god Zeus has been known since ancient times, the story itself was only a pretext for depicting a naked female figure.
The fact that Titian's work was in great demand can be judged even by the fact that at least six versions of the painting were made in the artist's studio, which, nevertheless, differ somewhat in details.
Danae. Titian, 1560s.
The very same voluptuous figure of Danae remains practically unchanged regardless of the work, and, probably, was performed from one studio drawing.
Other elements vary considerably. For example, in the first version, now kept in Naples, and written between 1544 and 1546, Cupid is depicted instead of the old woman.
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But where did the very first picture come from, and what does the cardinal have to do with it?
Danae. Original version from Naples, 1544-1546.
It is reliably known that the first version was written by order of the Catholic Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who is considered not only a prominent religious figure, but also a patron of the arts, as well as a connoisseur of frank works of art.
Portrait of Alessandro Farnese by Titian.
In addition to the obvious frankness of the image itself, a notable feature of the first version is the extremely individualized face of the heroine.
This feature is retained in all subsequent copies.
According to the most common version, known since the time of the creation of the work, the model for the creation of "Danae" was one of the courtesans, who, moreover, was formally considered a nun with whom the cardinal had a very close relationship.
This is not surprising given the fact that even during his lifetime, Alessandro Farnese was often accused of abusing high positions for the sake of far from pleasing deeds and lusts.
Many modern art historians are inclined to believe that the entire work is based solely on very unusual and clearly inappropriate fantasies for religious figures (the image of Cupid only emphasizes the obvious love accent of the picture), the content of which can only be guessed at.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that Farnese's religious career was only saved by the fact that Titian's masterpiece was kept in the cardinal's personal collection and was not available for viewing by the general public, which would otherwise have raised a lot of questions, both from ordinary believers and conservative Catholic figures.