Agnolo Bronzino:
Cosimo I de Medici
Click on the picture to see an
enlarged version.
- Oil on Wood. 1545
- 74 x 58 cm
- Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
|
|
Cosimo I dei Medici (Florence 1519-1574) son of
Maria Salviati and Giovanni dei Medici, called Giovanni
dalle Bande Nere, was duke of Florence since 1537 and first
Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569 to his death. In this
portrait he is about 25 years old, wearing his glittering
armour, that points out his political ability and his power
as a ruler-commander who would have enlarged and fortified
the Florentine State.
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the painting is the
skilful rendering of the armour, the flashing reflections of
the metal and the hand resting languidly on the helmet. It
is very beautiful in the firm drawing and the hard polish of
the planes to an almost metaphysical effect.
|