Portraits of the Medici
by Agnolo BRONZINO

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



Portrait of Bia de' Medici
c. 1542
Oil on wood, 63 x 48 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1290*1700
True Color
242 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



Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici in Armour
c. 1545
Oil on poplar wood, 118 x 99 cm
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

1541*2000
True Color
269 Kb



Cosimo I de' Medici as Orpheus
1537-39
Oil on panel, 94 x 76 cm
Museum of Art, Philadelphia

1454*1800
True Color
258 Kb



Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici
1537
Oil on canvas, 118 x 88 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

1028*1400
True Color
119 Kb



Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni de' Medici
1544-45
Oil on wood, 115 x 96 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1154*1400
True Color
264 Kb



Eleonora di Toledo
1543
Oil on wood, 59 x 46 cm
Národní Galerie, Prague

1200*1524
True Color
206 Kb



Portrait of Eleanora di Toledo
c. 1560
Oil on panel, 86 x 65 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington

1049*1400
True Color
245 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
c. 1550
Oil on panel, 48 x 38 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

1097*1400
True Color
166 Kb



Garcia de' Medici
1555-65
Oil on tin, 15 x 12 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

700*886
True Color
85 Kb



Isabella de Medici
1552-53
Oil on wood
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

982*1200
True Color
184 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




Summary of paintings by Bronzino
| Medici portraits | other portraits | religious | Cappella di Eleonora | allegories |