Pope Paul III and His Grandsons is an oil on canvas painting by Titian, housed in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples. It was commissioned by the Farnese family and painted during Titian's visit to Rome between autumn 1545 and June 1546. It depicts the thorny relationship between Pope Paul III, born Alessandro Farnese, and two of his grandsons, Ottavio and Alessandro. The painting explores the effects of ageing and the manoeuvring behind succession; Paul was at the time in his late seventies and operating within an uncertain political climate as Charles V came into ascendancy. Paul was not a religious man; he viewed the papacy as a means to consolidate his family's position. He appointed Alessandro as cardinal against accusations of nepotism, fathered a number of illegitimate children and spent large sums of church money collecting art. Titian abandoned the commission before completion, and for the next 100 years the painting languished unframed in a Farnese cellar. It ranks as one of Titian's most penetrating works. The panel contains subtle indications of the contradictions in the character of the Pope, and captures the complex psychological dynamic between the three men.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III_and_His_Grandsons
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1483:
The last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, Richard III (pictured), was crowned King of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_of_England
1614:
The Ottoman Empire made a final attempt to conquer the island of Malta, but were beaten back by the Knights Hospitaller. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_of_%C5%BBejtun
1892:
During a steelworkers' strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a day-long battle between strikers and Pinkerton agents resulted in ten deaths and dozens of people wounded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_Strike
1940:
The Story Bridge in Brisbane, the longest cantilever bridge in Australia, was opened by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_Bridge
1989:
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad member carried out a suicide attack by hijacking a bus and forcing it into a ravine near Kiryat Ye'arim, Israel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv%E2%80%93Jerusalem_bus_405_suicide_attack
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Higgs boson: (physics) A hypothetical elementary particle predicted by the Standard Model; a boson with zero spin, it is thought to give mass to other particles. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Higgs_boson
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
 If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.  --Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso,_14th_Dalai_Lama