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Bronzino, Portrait of a Young Man

Key facts
Full title Portrait of a Young Man
Artist Bronzino
Artist dates 1503 - 1572
Date made probably 1550-5
Medium and support Oil on wood
Dimensions 75 × 57.5 cm
Acquisition credit On loan from a private collection
Inventory number L40
Location Room 12
Image copyright On loan from a private collection, © Private collection
Collection Main Collection
Portrait of a Young Man
Bronzino

It has previously been thought that this portrait may represent one of the elder sons of Duke Cosimo de' Medici, Bronzino's principal patron. Scholars have also suggested he may be the sculptor Pierino da Vinci or the painter Francesco Salviati. However, each of these theories is in some way problematic, and the young man's identity currently remains a mystery. A clue may lie in the sculpture of the god Bacchus which is revealed behind the pink curtain. In other portraits by Bronzino the accessories and costumes of the sitters are often relevant to their identitites.

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More paintings by Bronzino

An Allegory with Venus and Cupid
An Allegory with Venus and Cupid
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This is one of Bronzino’s most complex and enigmatic paintings. It contains a tangle of moral messages, presented in a sexually explicit image. Venus, goddess of love, steals an arrow from her son Cupid’s quiver as she kisses him on the lips. Cupid fondles Venus‘ breast, his bare buttocks provoca...
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Portrait of Piero de' Medici ('The Gouty')
Portrait of Piero de' Medici ('The Gouty')
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Piero de‘ Medici (1416–1469) was the son of Cosimo ’Pater Patriae‘ (’father of his country‘), and father of Lorenzo the Magnificent. They were all members of the Medici, the leading family in Florence during the Italian Renaissance. Although Florence was a republic at the time, Piero was in effec...
Not on display
The Madonna and Child with Saints
The Madonna and Child with Saints
Bronzino
Elderly Saint Elizabeth looks down over the Virgin Mary’s shoulder at her son Saint John the Baptist. The Christ Child removes a garland of flowers from his head, symbolising innocence or childish pleasure. He grasps the reed cross held by the infant Saint John, who wears his camel-skin cloak and...
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Portrait of a Lady
Portrait of a Lady
Follower of Bronzino
We do not know who this lady is. Her costume suggests that she is a Florentine noblewoman of the late 1570s and 1580s and it is likely that the portrait dates from that time.The style of the portrait is similar to those of Bronzino (1503–1572), who was court artist to Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519–15...
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Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
After Bronzino
This is a portrait of Cosimo I de‘ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, at the age of 40. It is based on Bronzino’s official portrait of the Duke of 1559, but is unlikely to have been painted by Bronzino or his assistants.Prior to Medici rule, Florence had been a republic. Cosimo was Duke of Florence f...
Not on display