Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo

Last updated

Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Her Son
Italian: Eleonora di Toledo col figlio Giovanni
Bronzino - Eleonora di Toledo col figlio Giovanni - Google Art Project.jpg
Artist Bronzino
Yearcirca 1545
Type Oil on panel
Dimensions115 cm× 96 cm(45 in× 38 in)
LocationGalleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy
Website https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/eleonora-di-toledo

The Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Her Son is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, finished ca. 1545. [1] One of his most famous works, [2] it is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy and is considered one of the preeminent examples of Mannerist portraiture. [3] The painting depicts Eleanor of Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, sitting with her hand resting on the shoulder of one of her sons. This gesture, as well as the pomegranate motif on her dress, referred to her role as mother. Eleanor wears a heavily brocaded dress with black arabesques. In this pose, she is depicted as the ideal woman of the Renaissance. [4] The painting is the first known state-commissioned portrait to include the ruler's heir. By including the child, Cosimo wished to imply that his rule would bring stability to the duchy. [5]

Contents

The child has been variously identified as being either Eleanor's son Francesco (born 1541), Giovanni (born 1543) or Garzia (born 1547). If the subject is the latter, the portrait should be dated around 1550–53, but the date is now generally assigned to c. 1545, based on an examination of the evolution of Bronzino's style, which would suggest Giovanni. [2]

The portrait has been called "cold", reflecting the sober formality of Eleanor's native Spanish Court, without the warmth typically expected of a portrait of mother and child. Such distancing is typical of the Mannerist school's rejection of naturalism. [6] Conversely, Eleanor's gown of elaborate brocaded velvet, with its massed bouclé effects of gold weft loops in the style called riccio sopra riccio (loop over loop), is painstakingly replicated. [7] The painting is perhaps an advertisement for the Florentine silk industry, which had fallen in popularity in the first difficult years of the sixteenth century and was revived in the reign of Cosimo I. The precious golden belt, decorated with jewels and beads with a tassel, may have been made by the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini.

Clothing

Detail of the brocaded velvet. Bronzino Eleanor of Toledo fabric detail.jpg
Detail of the brocaded velvet.

Eleanor is depicted wearing a formal gown over a camisa or smock of linen trimmed with narrow bands of blackwork embroidery at the neck and sleeve ruffles. Bronzino's painting captures the dimensionality of the brocaded silk velvet fabric in the gown with its loops of gold-wrapped thread and black pile arabesques against a white satin ground. Clothing made of such rich textiles was reserved for official occasions and was not typical of Eleanor's everyday wardrobe, which featured solid-coloured gowns of velvets and satins. [8]

When Eleanor's body was exhumed in the 19th century, some concluded she had been buried in the same dress as in the portrait. [2] An almost identical hairnet might have caused this confusion. But newer research shows that she was buried in a much simpler white satin gown over a crimson velvet bodice (and probably a matching petticoat, which has not survived). [9] [10] After a long and complex restoration, the original clothing has been conserved and detailed reconstructions are displayed in the Costume Gallery in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence. The original garments are much too fragile for public display. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessandro Allori</span> Italian painter

Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosimo I de' Medici</span> Duke of Florence later Grand Duke of Tuscany (1537–1574)

Cosimo I de' Medici was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. He built the Uffizi (office) to organize his administration, and conquered Siena to consolidate Florence's rule in Tuscany. He expanded the Pitti Palace and most of the Boboli Gardens were also laid out during his reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Vecchio</span> Town hall of Florence, Italy

The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's David statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Pitti</span> Renaissance palace and museum in Florence, Italy

The Palazzo Pitti, in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronzino</span> Italian Mannerist painter (1503–1572)

Agnolo di Cosimo, usually known as Bronzino or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, Bronzino, may refer to his relatively dark skin or reddish hair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor of Toledo</span> Duchess of Florence

Eleanor of Toledo was a Spanish noblewoman who became Grand Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. A keen businesswoman, she financed many of her husband's political campaigns and important buildings like the Pitti Palace. She ruled as regent of Florence during his frequent absences: Eleanor ruled during Cosimo's military campaigns in Genoa in 1541 and 1543, his illness from 1544 to 1545, and again at times during the war for the conquest of Siena (1551–1554). She founded many Jesuit churches. She is credited with being the first modern first lady or consort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1500–1550 in European fashion</span> Costume in the first half of the 16th century

Fashion in the period 1500–1550 in Europe is marked by very thick, big and voluminous clothing worn in an abundance of layers. Contrasting fabrics, slashes, embroidery, applied trims, and other forms of surface ornamentation became prominent. The tall, narrow lines of the late Medieval period were replaced with a wide silhouette, conical for women with breadth at the hips and broadly square for men with width at the shoulders. Sleeves were a center of attention, and were puffed, slashed, cuffed, and turned back to reveal contrasting linings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Bacchiacca</span> Italian painter

Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi, called Bachiacca. He is also known as Francesco Ubertini, il Bacchiacca (1494–1557). He was an Italian painter of the Renaissance whose work is characteristic of the Florentine Mannerist style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni de' Medici (cardinal)</span> Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church

Giovanni di Cosimo I de' Medici, also known as Giovanni de' Medici the Younger, was an Italian cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara</span> Duchess Ferrara, Modena and Reggio

Lucrezia de' Medici was a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1558 to 1561.

<i>Deposition of Christ</i> (Bronzino) Painting by Bronzino

The Deposition of Christ is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, completed in 1545. It is housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Besançon, France. A copy by Bronzino can be found in the Palazzo Vecchio. This portrayal of the Deposition, although it depicts all the characters typically shown when Jesus is being taken down from the cross, more correctly should be characterized as a Lamentation and is an excellent example of late Mannerism or Maniera.

<i>Crossing of the Red Sea</i> (Bronzino) Fresco painting by Bronzino

The Crossing of the Red Sea, also known as The Crossing of the Red Sea and Moses Appointing Joshua, is a fresco painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, finished in 1542. It depicts the Israelites crossing the Red Sea from the book of Exodus and Moses commissioning Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land from the book of Numbers. It is housed in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.

Events from the year 1545 in art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria de' Medici (1540–1557)</span>

Maria de' Medici was the eldest child of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo. She was a member of the famous Medici family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garzia de' Medici</span> Italian noble

Garzia de' Medici was the son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Eleanor of Toledo. He was the subject of a famous painting by Bronzino when he was an infant. He was born in Florence and died of malaria along with his mother while traveling to Pisa, a few days after his brother, Cardinal Giovanni, also died of the disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor de' Medici</span> Duchess of Mantua

Eleanor de' Medici was a Duchess of Mantua by marriage to Vincenzo I Gonzaga. She served as regent of Mantua 1595, 1597 and 1601, when Vincenzo served in the Austrian campaign in Hungary, and in 1602, when he left for Flanders for medical treatment. She was a daughter of Francesco I de' Medici and Joanna of Austria and the sister of Marie de' Medici, Queen of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Salviati</span> Florentine noblewoman

Maria Salviati was a Florentine noblewoman, the daughter of Lucrezia di Lorenzo de' Medici and Jacopo Salviati. She married Giovanni delle Bande Nere and was the mother of Cosimo I de Medici. Her husband died 30 November 1526, leaving her a widow at the age of 27. Salviati never remarried; after her husband's death she adopted the somber garb of a novice, which is how she is remembered today as numerous late portraits show her attired in black and white.

<i>Portrait of Giovanni de Medici as a Child</i> Painting by Bronzino

The Portrait of Giovanni de' Medici as a Child is an oil on panel painting by the Florentine artist Agnolo Bronzino. It is currently located at the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence.

<i>Portrait of Bia de Medici</i> Painting by Bronzino

The Portrait of Bia de' Medici is an oil-tempera on wood painting by Agnolo Bronzino, dating to around 1542 and now in the Uffizi in Florence. For a long time it was displayed in the Tribuna at the heart of the museum, but since 2012 it has been moved to the "sale rosse" of the Nuovi Uffizi. A second portrait, by Pontormo, has also been argued to show Bia de' Medici, but this identification is disputed.

Garzia is the Italianized form of the Spanish name García. Notable people with the name include:

References

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Smarthistory – Bronzino's Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni [6]
  1. "Smarthistory – Bronzino, Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo with her son Giovanni". smarthistory.org. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas, Joe A. (1994). "Fabric and Dress in Bronzino's Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Son Giovanni". Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte. 57 (2): 262–67. doi:10.2307/1482735. JSTOR   1482735.
  3. "Eleanor of Toledo with Her Son Giovanni". Britannica . Retrieved 21 April 2011. (subscription required)
  4. Teplis, Michelle (2011), "The Ideal Woman behind a Portrait", Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History, Armstrong Atlantic State University, ISSN   2163-8551 , retrieved 16 December 2012
  5. Bilik, Shiri (Spring 2002), "Women Who Ruled", Michigan Today, University of Michigan, archived from the original on 26 July 2013, retrieved 16 December 2012
  6. 1 2 "Bronzino's Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni". Smarthistory at Khan Academy. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  7. Monnas (2012), p. 20
  8. "Fashion at the Medici Court: the conserved clothes of Cosimo, Eleonora and don Garzia – Florence, Galleria del Costume, Palazzo Pitti, June 25 – December 31, 1993 (exhibition catalogue)" . Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  9. Arnold (1985), p. 102
  10. Landini (2005), p 70-74.
  11. "Medici Archive" . Retrieved 30 December 2012.

Sources