TIZIANO Vecellio
(b. 1490, Pieve di Cadore, d. 1576, Venezia)

Portrait of Pietro Bembo

c. 1540
Oil on canvas, 95 x 77 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington

Pietro Bembo (1470-1547) was an Italian cardinal and scholar. He was Titian's lifelong friend, and Titian painted several portraits of him. This portrait shows somewhat idealized features of the sitter which give him the appearance of a man younger than his seventy years.