Tiziano Vecellio, or Titian, the Italian painter, draughtsman and printmaker, was not only immensely successful in his lifetime but since his death has always been considered the greatest painter of the Venetian school. Equally pre-eminent in all the branches of painting practised in the 16th century - from religious subjects and portraits to allegories, scenes from Classical mythology, and history - his work illuminates more clearly than that of any other painter the fundamental transition from the 15th- to 16th-century traditions. This fully illustrated Grove Art Essentials title follows Titian's life from his early training through his many commissions for royal and noble patrons and details the artist's formative influence on the major European painters of the 17th century, later critical reception, and posthumous reputation.