How did Titian rework paintings before considering them finished?

Although Titian’s late works often possess a fresh, spontaneous quality that suggests they were painted quickly, he was a meticulous artist who did not consider a work finished until it had undergone a rigorous process of development.

According to his contemporaries and friends, Titian carefully studied, criticized, and reworked each painting before he was satisfied with the final result. In his late period, he employed a highly tactile technique, applying paint freely and loosely with a brush and sometimes reworking the surface directly with his fingers. He frequently used loosely juxtaposed patches of color, occasionally allowing the prepared canvas to show through to achieve his desired effect.1