Skip to main content

Bronzino, 'Portrait of a Young Man', probably 1550-5

About the work

It has previously been thought that this portrait may represent one of the elder sons of Duke Cosimo de' Medici, Bronzino's principal patron. Scholars have also suggested he may be the sculptor Pierino da Vinci or the painter Francesco Salviati. However, each of these theories is in some way problematic, and the young man's identity currently remains a mystery. A clue may lie in the sculpture of the god Bacchus which is revealed behind the pink curtain. In other portraits by Bronzino the accessories and costumes of the sitters are often relevant to their identitites.

Key facts

Full title
Portrait of a Young Man
Artist
Bronzino
Artist dates
1503 - 1572
Date made
probably 1550-5
Medium and support
Oil on wood
Dimensions
75 × 57.5 cm
Acquisition credit
On loan from a private collection
Inventory number
L40
Location
Not on display
Image copyright
On loan from a private collection, © Private collection
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

More works by Bronzino

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...
Not on display
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...
Not on display
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
Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
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 f...
Not on display