Follower of Bronzino, 'Portrait of a Lady', probably 1575-85
About the work
Overview
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 (1519–1574), Duke of Florence and later Grand Duke of Tuscany. It may be that this lady is an invention based on several portraits of Medici ladies by Bronzino. The portrait also resembles those by Bronzino’s pupil Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), who painted court portraits for Cosimo I’s son, Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici (1541–1587).
The lady was formerly believed to be Bianca Cappello (1548–1587), Francesco’s mistress and later his wife. However, other than in the opulence of her costume, she does not especially resemble her.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of a Lady
- Artist
- Follower of Bronzino
- Artist dates
- 1503 - 1572
- Date made
- probably 1575-85
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 58.7 × 48.6 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by the Misses Cohen as part of the John Samuel Collection, 1906
- Inventory number
- NG2085
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Cecil Gould, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools’, London 1987; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1859Phillips, Catalogue of the Late Lord Northwick's Extensive and Magnificent Collection of Ancient and Modern Pictures…, Phillips, Thirlestane House, Cheltenham, 26 July 1859, Cheltenham, 26 July 1859 - 30 August 1859
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1888G. Redford, Art Sales: A History of Sales of Pictures and other Works and Art, with Notices of the Collections Sold, Names of Owners, Titles of Pictures, Prices and Purchasers, 2 vols, London 1888
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1895Catalogue of Pictures by Italian Masters of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Collected by John Samuel, London 1895
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1907M.H. Spielmann, 'The John Samuel Bequest to the National Gallery, I', The Connoisseur, XVII, 1907, pp. 229-34
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1907M.H. Spielmann, 'The Samuel Bequest to the National Gallery', The Connoisseur, XVIII, 1907, pp. 35-40
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1928A. McComb, Agnolo Bronzino: His Life and Works, Cambridge MA 1928
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1962Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools (excluding the Venetian), London 1962
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1975C. Gould, Delaroche and Gautier: Gautier's Views on the 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey' and on other Compositions by Delaroche, London 1975
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1981K. Langedijk, The Portraits of the Medici: 15th-18th Centuries, 3 vols, Florence 1981
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1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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.
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