Even in his own time, the status of Venetian painter Titian (1488- 1576) was legendary. He worked on the border between Renaissance and Baroque and was revered on par with the greats of the world. His pictorial style, extraordinary use of colour and virtuoso technique were and still are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for generations of artists. Rubens and Van Dyck, among others, greatly admired Titian's work and studied it extensively. Portrait of a lady and her daughter is perhaps one of Titian's most fascinating works. He began the miraculous painting in the mid-16th century, but died before he could finish it. This depiction of the relationship between a mother and her child is unparalleled. Despite the monumentality of the painting, the look with which the daughter looks at her mother is perhaps one of the most tender in all of art history. The identity of those portrayed is uncertain, but some art historians claim Titian painted a portrait of his mistress, Milia, and their illegitimate daughter, Emilia. The painting experienced a prodigious history from its inception. Its wanderings began in Venice, after which the work passed by the Russian tsars and then, via Paris, ended up in London, where it miraculously survived the bombings of World War II. Today, it has been fully restored after a 20-year restoration. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)