The cardinal, the prostitute and the painter: the strange story of Titian's most erotic masterpiece

It was considered a fake for a century, but now one of the UK’s greatest art treasures is back on show. So how did the Duke of Wellington get his hands on it?

Britain’s sexiest art treasure is the centrepiece of a new exhibition at Apsley House, home of the Duke of Wellington and now in the care of English Heritage. This is a painting about love and money – and it is priceless. But until recently, it lay almost unnoticed among Wellington’s paintings.

The story of this erotic masterpiece begins with a cardinal, a prostitute and a painter. In the 16th century, the great Venetian artist Titian set up his studio in Rome. He was there to paint a lavish nude for the pleasure of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, one of the richest men in Italy and someone who didn’t let clerical office restrain his libido. In fact, the model for Titian’s painting has been identified as Farnese’s mistress, Angela, a famous courtesan.

'This erotic painting was intended to make Titian’s famous nude, the Venus of Urbino, look like a nun'

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