Italy, Florence / c. 1550
Portrait of a Woman
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Portrait of a Woman as painting (Italy, Florence · c. 1550).
Bronzino was court painter to Cosimo I de’Medici, the Duke of Florence. Though the woman cannot be definitively identified, she was likely affiliated with the Medici court.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on wood and credits Agnolo Bronzino (Italian, 1503–1572).
The museum's collection notes: Bronzino was court painter to Cosimo I de’Medici, the Duke of Florence. Though the woman cannot be definitively identified, she was likely affiliated with the Medici court. As in most of the portraits in this gallery, Bronzino emphasizes wealth, status, and courtly refinement above personality or individualized expression. The plain background further accentuates the work’s monumentality and grandeur, despite its small scale. The hand placed against the chest with elegantly spread fingers extends back to an ancient Greek pose of modesty, here emphasizing the proper comportment of a woman of high status. The sitter wears a linen partlet (colla
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPortrait of a WomanOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.