Sacred and Profane Love

Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love made circa 1515 is an oil painting that was commissioned by Niccolò Aurelio, who was a secretary to the Venetian Council of Trent. It was made to commemorate his marriage with a young widow named Laura Bagarotto [1].

In the painting, two women (who are said to illustrate different representations of the same person) are pictured sitting on a Roman sarcophagus. On the left, a bride is seen dressed in a long white dress, which was known as formal and rich clothing, typical of a courtesan at the time. She wears a myrtle in her hair, which is a flower sacred to Venus. This fully clothed woman is contrasted with the woman on the right, who is fully nude except for the white cloth draped upon her lap. The nude woman sits on the ledge with one hand in the air holding a vessel with some smoke coming out, which functions as lamp. The clothed woman rests on a metal bowl that sits on the ledge, and some say that the decoration inside the bowl is symbolic of the arms of Aurelio’s bride. The women are said to be figures representing “profane love” (clothed figure) and “sacred love” (nude figure) [2]. The presence of Cupid and the roses between the two women epitomizes the loving nature surrounding the women and the identification of these women as twin Venuses. The nude Venus represents a heavenly beauty that needs no materials to adorn her. In contrast, her twin symbolizes human love as she is dressed in the material splendor of the world [2].  

Each twin dominates a side of the composition, which represents human love and divine love. Nude Venus is set in front of a background sky and is depicted above earthly nature. Meanwhile, clothed Venus is depicted in front of fertile trees and a landscape that includes a hill and a castle. Overall, Titian creates a calculated composition with contrasting halves to depict different levels of love and materiality [3].

[1] David Jaffé, “Titian,” London: The National Gallery Company/Yale University Press,(2003): 94.

[2] Rona Goffen, "Titian's Sacred and Profane Love: Individuality and Sexuality in a Renaissance Marriage Picture, Studies in the History of Art 45 (1993): 124. 

[3] Cecil Gould, “Titian”, Grove Art Online, (2003): 2-3.

Titian, Author: “Sacred and Profane Love by Titian.” Galerie Borghèse, August 4, 2019. https://borghese.gallery/collection/paintings/sacred-and-profane-love.html. 

Jaffé, David. Titian. London: The National Gallery Company/Yale University Press, 2003.

Gould, Cecil. "Titian." Grove Art Online. (2003).

Galleria Borghese. “Sacred and Profane Love.” Accessed November 18, 2020. https://borghese.gallery/collection/paintings/sacred-and-profane-love.html.