(Monticelli 1503–1572 Florence)
Portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1519–1574),
oil on panel, 86.5 x 69.2 cm, framed

Provenance:
Aristocratic collection, Florence;
and thence by descent to the present owner

Several versions of this composition are known, with slight variants, including one in the Alana collection (see C. Falciani [ed.], Florence: Portrait à la cour des Médicis, exhibition catalogue, Brussels 2015, pp. 122–123, 191, no. 16; see K. Christiansen, C. Falciani [eds.], The Medici. Portraits and Politics 1512–1570, exhibition catalogue, New York 2021, pp. 215–216). The present painting refers most closely to the version in the Galleria Sabauda, Turin (inv. no. 123).

Bronzino painted the first official portrait of Cosimo towards the mid-1540s, representing him in magnificent armour and reflecting the young duke’s military successes. Between 1555–60 Cosimo commissioned a new portrait from Bronzino, in which he appeared in a magnificent costume of fur, violet silk, and gold embroidery. This attire was complemented by the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which Cosimo had received from Emperor Charles V in 1545. In 1555, the territorial expansion of the Duchy of Florence had come to a temporary halt after its victory over Siena, an event followed by years of political consolidation and peace. This was to be expressed in the form of a new official portrait of the regent. The so-called ‘Turin type’ shows Cosimo in half-length, turned to three-quarters and looking to his right. Depending on the different variations, he holds either a handkerchief or a pair of gloves in his hands. Vasari, having seen this more mature version personally, described it as very life-like (see G. Vasari, Le vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori, ed. by R. Bettarini, P. Barocchi, Florence 1966–87, VI, pp. 235–36).

Cosimo used paintings as a diplomatic instrument, frequently presenting portraits of himself to family members and political allies as a sign of his friendship. A well-documented example is the portrait of the Turin-type, which Cosimo gave to Emanuele Filiberto, the Duke of Savoy, mentioned in the Guardaroba Medicea as ‘per mandare al Duca di Savoia’ (Archivio di Stato, Florence, inv. Guardaroba Filza 65, 1560–1567, fol. 160b). Copies of the portraits of Cosimo and his wife were also presented to the influential Cardinal Granvelle. The Guardaroba inventory for the years 1560–67 lists portraits of Cosimo which were sent to Giovanni Battista Castaldo, the military commander of Charles V, to Albert V of Bavaria, and to the Cavaliere de Nobili.

Cosimo’s father, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, was a celebrated condottiere. He belonged to a cadet branch of the family and there was no reason to predict that his son, Cosimo, would one day determine the fate of the city of Florence or that he was to revive the fortunes of the Medici dynasty, which went on to rule the city until the early eighteenth century. Cosimo de’ Medici entered Florence and ascended to power at the young age of seventeen after conflicts within the family. He quickly became very powerful, ruling until 1564, when he abdicated in favour of his son Francesco. Emperor Charles V appointed him Duke of Florence.

The Uffizi were built as a seat of government by Cosimo, though fittingly perhaps for a building created by such a great patron of the arts, over time, it became a museum. Having first resided at the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in via Larga and subsequently at the Palazzo Vecchio, Cosimo transferred his residence to Palazzo Pitti, where he initiated the creation of the Boboli Gardens. He had appointed Bronzino court painter in the late 1530s. Bronzino had trained with Pontormo, who was also a Medici court painter and, with him, collaborated in a number of important artistic endeavours. He painted religious and mythological paintings but was mostly celebrated as a virtuoso portraitist.