The hand in the fold

X-radiography shows that Titian makes many changes while working on the first Danae, probably because the original version resembles his Venus of Urbino too closely.

It’s a similar case with following Danaes. Her pose remains the same but Titian becomes bolder in his erotic elaboration. While the virgin’s modesty is preserved by a cloth in the painting for Farnese, we can already see her hand there in the Madrid version, though it lacks definition.

The Vienna Danae bears all, her left hand sensually touching the inside of her thighs, the fingers of her right hand playing ‘inadvertently’ with a fold in the cloth.