PONTORMO, Jacopo
(b. 1494, Pontormo, d. 1557, Firenze)

Portrait of a Lady in Red

1530s
Oil on wood, 90 x 71 cm
Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt

This portrait, traditionally attributed to Pontormo, is assigned by the Städelmuseum in Frankfurt to Bronzino as a work of his early maturity, painted while in the service of Duke Alessandro de' Medici in Pesaro.

The painting stands out for the brilliant and complementary accord between the dark green of the sleeves and the bright red of the dress, recalling the gamut of colours used in the Capponi Chapel. The unidentified sitter was not averse to reading, as the two volumes that can be seen behind the lavishly decorated seat indicate.