Portrait of the Vendramin Family [SEP] creator
Portrait of the Vendramin Family
The Vendramin Family venerating a Relic of the True Cross, Portrait of the Vendramin Family etc. is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Titian and his workshop, executed in the early 1540s, and now in the National Gallery in London.
The canvas was commissioned by the patrician Vendramin family, and portrays, as dictated by Venetian custom, only male members of the dynasty. It includes the brothers Andrea and Gabriele Vendramin, and Andrea's seven sons. However Andrea was apparently only three
's painting has been described as, "one of the greatest group portraits in history". It balances youth and wisdom as well as demonstrating the power of this family and their public commitments to the Republic. The relic is a central part of the portrait and was seen as both a symbol of the Serene Republic, and a personal symbol for the Vendramin family. 
The painting was clearly designed for a specific location, presumably in one of the various Vendramin palaces in Venice, perhaps on a stairway. The lighting and