In the 16th century, the art of painting enjoyed a golden age in Venice. By the 1540s Titian had become the most sought after painter in Europe and many works, including The Death of Actaeon and The Tribute Money, were made for King Philip II of Spain, then the most powerful monarch in the world.

Titian’s paintings in this room illustrate how his style became increasingly free and expressive, his energetic brushwork suggesting an extraordinary range of human emotions. Other painters working in Venice, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Bassano and Bordone, offered discerning civic, ecclesiastical and private patrons a wide variety of choice. Their individual styles also influenced artists far beyond Venice and one case is of particular interest.

After El Greco abandoned his career as an icon painter on Crete, he studied in Venice in the late 1560s, when the painters shown in this room were active. He later wrote of his particular admiration of Tintoretto’s style. Long after El Greco moved to Spain, echoes of his Venetian experience can be seen in his painterly technique, spatial organisation, rich colour and expressive figures.