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Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici

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Portrait of Cosimo de' Medici
ArtistBronzino
Year1545
MediumTempera on panel
Dimensions74 cm × 58 cm (29 in × 23 in)
LocationUffizi, Florence

The Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, finished in 1545. In his position as court painter for the Medici, Bronzino was author of several portraits of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici. In this portrait, Cosimo is represented in his younger years, commanding and proud; and to quote Giorgio Vasari, "clad with white armor and a hand over the helmet". It has been identified as having been painted in the Medicis' Villa of Poggio a Caiano in 1545.

Bronzino's portrait captures Duke Cosimo I following a great diplomatic triumph. Cosimo had, at long last, rid Florence of the Spanish garrisons that had been stationed there since the early 1530s, when Pope Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici) and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V agreed that Florence would become an Imperial duchy, governed by the Medici. Charles V stationed the garrisons in Florence ostensibly to protect its first duke, Alessandro de Medici, from those who might rise up against him or otherwise do him harm. Cosimo I however chaffed under the watch of the Spanish troops, and in 1543, in return for a monetary payment to Charles V, (the latter needed funds to fight Protestants in Northern Europe), the duke obtained the evacuation of the garrisons stationed in Florence.

Bronzino and his workshop painted about 25 only slightly differing versions of the portrait.

List of versions

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Simon Version Number Year Image Dimensions Catalog entry & title Collection
8. 1543-1545 74 x 58 cm ritratto di Cosimo I de' Medici Uffizi
12. circa 1545 76 x 59 cm Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici in armour National Museum in Poznań
19. circa 1545 86.0 x 66.8 cm Cosimo I de' Medici in armour Art Gallery of New South Wales
14. circa 1545 76.5 x 59 cm Cosimo de Medici in Armour Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
23. 1545 or after 101.6 x 77.8 cm Cosimo I de’Medici Toledo Museum of Art
16. 1546-1548 77.5 x 60.2 cm ritratto di Cosimo I de' Medici Galleria Palatina
24. 1546-1550 105 x 87 cm ritratto di Cosimo I de' Medici Tesoro dei Granduchi
20. circa 1550 94.8 x 65.2 cm Portrait of Cosimo I Grand Duke of Tuscany Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Kassel)
21. 1572 95.9 x 70.5 cm Cosimo I de' Medici (1519–1574) Metropolitan Museum of Art
26. 181 x 103 cm Portrait of Gran Ducby Cosimo I de’ Medici in Armour Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Mansi

References

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