Radiocarbon Ages of a Possible Titian Painting

A radiocarbon study of a painting that might have been made by Titian or Tintoretto or by their workshops is presented. It could be the lost Titian self-portrait or, more convincingly, the sitter might be the Venetian Andrea Cappello, elected Procuratore de Supra in 1537 AD. Due to the variability in the concentration of atmospheric radiocarbon during the reference period, the calibrated 14C ages of the painted canvas are 1450–1530 and 1540–1635 AD (2 σ), while those of the wooden frame are 1504–1597 and 1616–1657 AD (2 σ). They are also consistent with previous analyses based on scanning macro X-ray fluorescence. These results, combined with stylistic, considerations suggest that the painting was made in the first half of the 16th century by Titian or his workshop. Circumstantial evidence that the painting was executed between 1523 and 1528 is also discussed.