In 1540, soon after marrying Eleonora of Toledo, Cosimo de' Medici moved from the Palazzo Medici into the Palazzo della Signoria, publicly proclaiming his dominance over all civic institutions. Cosimo remodeled the building to accommodate his expanding family and commissioned elaborate decorative programs of the histories of his ancestors, of his own military conquests, and of dynastic portraiture to fill its vast spaces. On the upper floor Cosimo constructed a small cubical chapel for Eleanor's private devotions, completely decorated by Bronzino with imagery that ostensibly referred to Christian redemption but which barely veiled his dynastic and political intentions.

The wall frescoes all depict scenes from the life of Moses: the left-wall frescoes include the Miracle of the Spring (Moses Striking the Rock) and the Gathering of Manna, the right wall is covered by the fresco Crossing of the Red Sea, an uncommon subject in Christian chapels. The altarpiece currently in the chapel, depicting the Lamentation, is a replica Bronzino made in 1553 of his 1545 original (which was sent to France as a diplomatic gift and is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Besançon). The frescoes of the vault represents Sts Michael, John the Evangelist, Jerome and Francis.

For the decoration of the chapel Bronzino applied an unusual technique: the underpainting was true fresco and the finished layer in tempera.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	View of the Chapel of Eleonora da Toledo 1540-45 Fresco and tempera, size of the chapel 4,9 x 3,8 m Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	View of the Chapel of Eleonora da Toledo 1540-45 Fresco and tempera, size of the chapel 4,9 x 3,8 m Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Altarpiece c. 1540 Oil on canvas Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Deposition of Christ 1540-45 Oil on panel, 268 x 173 cm Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, Besançon
	Deposition of Christ 1545 Oil on wood Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Altarpiece c. 1540 Oil on wood Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Angel of the Annunciation 1564 Oil on wood Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Virgin of the Annunciation 1564 Oil on wood Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	The Miracle of the Spring c. 1543 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	The Miracle of the Spring (detail) c. 1543 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Gathering of the Manna c. 1543 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Crossing of the Red Sea c. 1542 Fresco, 300 x 475 cm Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Crossing of the Red Sea c. 1542 Fresco, 300 x 475 cm Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Crossing of the Red Sea (detail) c. 1540 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Miracle of the Brazen Serpent c. 1542 Fresco, 300 x 380 cm Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Vault decoration c. 1541 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Vault decoration c. 1541 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Vault decoration (detail) c. 1541 Fresco Cappella di Eleonora, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
	Modello for the vault decoration c. 1540 Pen with black and brown ink, brush with brown wash on blue-gray prepared paper, 343 x 262 mm Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt
	Modello for the vault decoration c. 1540 Pen with black and brown ink, brush with brown wash on blue-gray prepared paper, 343 x 262 mm Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt