Titian's Falconer : From Zorzone to Girolamo Cornaro

The identity of the sitter in Titian's Falconer and the issue of its dating have been subject to a false, yet very influential assumption: that The Falconer should be dated to a point as late as 1537 in order to connect it to the identity of Zorzone Cornaro (1517–1571), son of Girolamo (1485–1551). This false premise has barred Girolamo's own candidacy as the sitter of The Falconer. Ultimately, disregarding the rather arbitrary ascription of the portrait to 1537, the form of the artist's signature, coupled with the painting's overall composition, leads us to an earlier dating of The Falconer, in the 1520s. Girolamo's role as a falcon trader, his meeting with Titian in 1520, the likely age of the sitter (more in line with a man in his 30s–40s, rather than a 20‐year‐old), and the facial similarities between the Falconer and Girolamo's portrait medal, all provide compelling evidence that Girolamo Cornaro is the true sitter of Titian's Man with a Falcon.