Allegory of Prudence, Titian
Titian·Allegory of Prudence·c. 1550–65·Oil on canvas·National Gallery, London↓

Titian Italian, c. 1488 – 1576

Allegory of Prudence, c. 1550–65

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Three human heads, old, mature and young, look left, forward and right above the heads of a wolf, a lion and a dog. The image joins the three ages of man to past, present and future. The faces have been identified as Titian, his son Orazio and his nephew Marco, though scholars dispute this, and Titian's workshop may have helped.

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A faint Latin inscription above the heads says, in short: from the past, the present acts prudently, lest it spoil future action.

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