Emperor Vitellius portrait, oil painting on canvas, 18th century

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Oil painting on canvas from the 18th century depicting the portrait of emperor Vitellius. Aulus Vitellius Germanicus Augustus is one of the eleven Roman emperors who were portrayed in half-length form in a series made by Titian in 1536-40 for Frederick II, Duke of Mantua. Passed first to the English royal house and then coming to the Spanish court, the paintings were all destroyed in a catastrophic fire at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid in 1734 and are now known only from copies made by various Flemish engravers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Among them, we have the engraving of the portrait of Vitellius made by Aegidius Sadeler (1570 -1629), from which our copy has some minor differences, as was usual when works by other great artists were copied. The emperor, distinguished by a prominent nose, thin lips, chubby cheeks and double chin, holds the staff of command and wears armor with a red cloak over it. The painting has been restored and restretched.

ID: 2096-1707849004-83477