How did Titian portray rulers in his state portraits?

Titian’s state portraits were essentially idealized depictions that balanced convincing facial renderings with symbols of authority and power. To portray rulers and aristocrats, he employed several distinct techniques:1

• Symbolic Attributes: He often emphasized a subject's military career or status through specific props, such as gleaming armor, batons, or secondary figures included to provide scale.1
• Commanding Presence: Titian frequently used large-scale canvases and sweeping designs to make figures appear massive and authoritative. For example, his portrait of Doge Andrea Gritti serves as a symbol of the office of the ruler of Venice, projecting a commanding presence through its scale.1
• Spatial Composition: He mastered the ability to fill the space of a canvas to create a sense of bulk and importance, as seen in his portraits of Pietro Aretino, where he utilized a "leonine bulkiness" to enhance the subject's stature.1

While these works were idealized to reflect the subject's social state and office, Titian remained committed to penetrating human character, ensuring that the heads of his subjects were rendered with convincing realism.12