Focus on La Schiavona and analyze the Identity of the sitter.
The painting was being referred to as La Schiavona before the beginning of the seventeenth century. However, this name is traditional, given to the painting by someone in recognition of the style of her dress and her physiognomy. In reality, the lady portrayed would have been part of the nobility of the time, with a costume compatible with that of the wealthy women of the territories controlled by the Republic of Venice. Some people have tried to identify the woman as Catherine Cornaro, a hypothesis without any confirmation. Previously assigned to Giorgione, the painting is today commonly accepted as a youthful masterpiece by Titian; further evidence is provided by the absence of the modulated sweetness of the painter from Castelfranco Veneto, replaced rather by a pulsating vitality. There are also close similarities with the woman protagonist of the Miracolo del neonato, a Paduan fresco by Titian dating back to 1511.
Republic of Venice Titian Catherine Cornaro Giorgione Castelfranco Veneto