Woman Holding an Apple

Titian

National Gallery of Art

Shown from about the hips up against a sable-brown background, a pale-skinned woman stands cradling an apple with both hands at her waist in this vertical portrait painting. Her body and face are angled to our left but she looks out at us from the corners of her eyes. She has dark brown eyes under curving brows, a straight nose, smooth cheeks, and her coral-red, heart-shaped lips are closed. A crown of parchment-white and rust-orange flowers with sage-green and brown leaves sits akimbo, close to the ear we can see, over her honey-brown hair, which falls over her shoulders and down her back to her waist. Teardrop-shaped pearls hang from her ears. She wears a sea-green gown with elbow-length sleeves over an eggshell-white garment, which has voluminous sleeves edged with gold. The green garment is lined with pearls, jewels, and gold embroidery around the hem of the sleeves and down the front. The muted red apple rests in one hand, which is cupped in her other hand at her waist. The woman is lit from our left in a warm glow against the brown background.