Bronzino was the best portrayer of the frozen, rigid etiquette of the Grand Duke's court in Florence. His career is interwoven with the history of Mannerism. on which he left his own mark. He happily established himself as the official painter of the Grand Duchy and as the enigmatic stylist of a small circle of cultured aristocrats. Bronzino was first Pontormo's pupil and then for many years his close assistant. With his master he took part in many important jobs in Florence in the 1520s (frescos in the Galluzzo Charter House and decorating the Capponi Chapel in S. Felicitŕ). In 1530 he was summoned to the della Rovere court in the Marches and it was there that he began to paint portraits. It was not long before his outstanding talent in this direction became clear and he started to develop his own style, quite distinct from that of Pontormo. In fact, in addition to his master's almost maniacal insistence on accurate drawing, Bronzino added his own very personal use of colour which he applied in a clear and compact fashion that almost gave the effect of varnish.

The firm and glacial way that Bronzino draws outline and detail makes his portraits quite unmistakable. At the same time they possess an almost arrogant grandeur. This leads to a sense of immobile and timeless refinement.

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	Alessandro de' Medici 1555-65 Oil on tin, 15 x 12 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	700*895 True Color 71 Kb
	Bia, The Illegitimate Daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici c. 1542 Oil on wood, 63 x 48 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	747*1003 True Color 111 Kb
	Cosimo I de' Medici in Armour 1545 Oil on wood, 74 x 58 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	801*983 True Color 90 Kb
	Cosimo I de' Medici in Armour c. 1550 Oil on wood, 114 x 89 cm Museo degli Argenti, Florence	900*1100 True Color 108 Kb
	Eleonora of Toledo with her son Giovanni de' Medici 1544-45 Oil on wood, 115 x 96 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	801*1026 True Color 172 Kb
	Eleonora di Toledo 1543 Oil on wood, 46 x 59 cm Národní Galerie, Prague	1000*1310 True Color 148 Kb
	Portrait of Eleanora di Toledo 1560 Wood National Gallery of Art, Washington	434*650 True Color 83 Kb
	The Ailing Eleonora di Toledo 1556 Oil on wood, diameter 75 cm Museo Bardini, Florence	1000*1000 True Color 158 Kb
	Portrait of Francesco I de' Medici 1551 Tempera on wood, 58,5 x 41,5 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	716*1001 True Color 82 Kb
	Ferdinando de' Medici 1555-65 Oil on tin, 15 x 12 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	700*929 True Color 93 Kb
	Portrait of Giovanni de' Medici as a Child 1545 Tempera on wood, 58 x 45,6 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	733*1002 True Color 93 Kb
	Don Garcia de' Medici 1550 Oil on panel Museo del Prado, Madrid	509*650 True Color 39 Kb
	Garcia de' Medici 1555-65 Oil on tin, 15 x 12 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	700*886 True Color 85 Kb
	Lucrezia di Cosimo 1555-65 Oil on tin, 15 x 12 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	700*930 True Color 121 Kb
	Portrait of Maria de' Medici 1551 Tempera on wood, 53 x 38 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	900*1248 True Color 129 Kb