Skip to main content

After Bronzino, 'Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany', probably before 1574

Key facts
Full title Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Artist After Bronzino
Artist dates 1503 - 1572
Date made probably before 1574
Medium and support oil on wood
Dimensions 21.3 × 17.1 cm
Acquisition credit Presented by Queen Victoria at the Prince Consort's wish, 1863
Inventory number NG704
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
Previous owners
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India
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 from 1537 until 1569, at which point he became Grand Duke of Tuscany until his death in 1574. He was married first of all to Eleonora of Toledo and then to Camilla Martelli, and fathered 15 children.

He was a great patron of the arts, building the Uffizi (’offices') which now house one of the world’s greatest art collections, completing the Pitti Palace as a Medici residence and creating the Boboli Gardens which surround it. Cosimo commissioned many works of art from artists including Bronzino, Pontormo, Vasari, and the sculptor Cellini.

Download image
Download low-resolution image

Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.

License this image

License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.

License image
Download low-resolution image

This image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.

Examples of non-commercial use are:

  • Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
  • Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media

The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.

As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.

Download low-resolution image

You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.

Creative Commons Logo

Related paintings

An Allegory with Venus and Cupid
An Allegory with Venus and Cupid
Bronzino
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...
Room 9
Portrait of a Young Man
Portrait of a Young Man
Bronzino
Room 12
Portrait of Piero de' Medici ('The Gouty')
Portrait of Piero de' Medici ('The Gouty')
Bronzino
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...
Room 9
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...
Not on display