Flora

Titian painted this Flora around 1515, depicting either the Roman goddess of spring or an idealized courtesan. She holds flowers in one hand while the other gathers her loosened shift, a pink silk that slips from her shoulder. Her golden hair cascades in loose waves.

The identity remains ambiguous. Flora the goddess traditionally held flowers, but Venetian courtesans also adopted this symbolism. The intimate address and rumpled clothing suggest something more personal than mythology. Whoever she is, she embodies the Venetian ideal of blonde, soft, sensual beauty.

The painting has been widely copied and adapted. Rembrandt's wife Saskia posed as Flora in homage to this image. The Uffizi displays it as a quintessential Venetian beauty.