Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici
Encyclopedia
The Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo
Agnolo di Cosimo
Agnolo di Cosimo , usually known as Il Bronzino, or Agnolo Bronzino , was an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence...

, known as Bronzino, finished in 1545. It is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

In his positions of court painter of the Medici, Bronzino was author of several portraits of Grand Duke
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...

 Cosimo I de' Medici. In this one Cosimo is represented in his young years and, in the words of Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...

, "clad with white armor and a hand over the helmet". The portrait has been identified as the one executed in the Villa of Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano is a town and comune in the Province of Prato, Tuscany region Italy. The town lies 9 km south of the provincial capital of Prato.-The Medici villa:...

in 1545 and mentioned in some letters.

The portrait is devised to show the dominant and proud temperament of the Grand Duke, with a side light shining on his face and on the metallic armor.
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