The Museo del Prado presents "Danaë and Venus and Adonis: Titian's Early Poesie for Philip II"

Between 19 November (coinciding with the Museum's 195th Anniversary) and next 1 March, Room 40 in the Villanueva Building at the Museo del Prado will present the first two "Poesie" produced by Titian:

Danaë, from the Wellington Collection at Apsley House,

and Venus and Adonis, belonging to the Museo del Prado.

The Italian master painted these works in 1553 and 1554 for the then Prince Philip, the future Philip II. We can now contemplate these works in all their splendour thanks to the recent restoration work that was carried out with the support of the Iberdrola Foundation.

The exhibition pays particular attention to the artist's creative process, which is illustrated through the technical documentation relating to these works, which inaugurated one of the most important and influential mythological painting cycles in the history of Western painting, one that served as inspiration for artists such as Veronese and Rubens.

Other versions of Danaë by Titian:

Titian, Danaë (1544–1545), oil on canvas, Capodimonte Museum, Naples. Courtesy of the Photography Department of the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage for the City and the Museums of Naples and the Royal Palace of Caserta/Luciano Basagni, Fabio Speranza

 Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg