Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo

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Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo and Her Son

Agnolo Bronzino, circa 1545

Oil on panel, 115 × 96 cm

Florence, Uffizi

The Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo and Her Son is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, finished c. 1545. It is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy.

The painting depicts Eleonora of Toledo, the wife of Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de' Medici, 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. The child has been variously identified as being either her 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, which would suggest Francesco.

When Eleonora's body was exhumated in the 20th century, she wore the same dress showed in the picture. This may indicate that the work was finished after her death in 1562. The gown has been conserved and is on display at the Pitti Palace in Florence.

[edit] References

• Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: the Cut and Construction of clothes for men and women 1560-1620. 
• Buticchi, Susanna. La Grande Storia dell'Arte. Cinquecento. Firenze: Il Sole 24 Ore-E.ducation.it.