This book offers nine new approaches toward a single work of art,
Titian's Allegory of Marriage or Allegory of Alfonso d'Avalos, dated to
1530/5. In earlier references, the painting was named simply Allegory,
alluding to its enigmatic nature. The work follows in a tradition of
such ambiguous Venetian paintings as Giovanni Bellini's Sacred Allegory
and Giorgione's Tempest. Throughout the years, Titian's Allegory has
engendered a range of diverse interpretations. Art historians such as
Hans Tietze, Erwin Panofsky, Walter Friedlaender, and Louis Hourticq, to
mention only a few, promoted various explanations. This book offers
novel approaches and suggests new meanings toward a further
understanding of this somewhat abstruse painting.