Cosimo I de’Medici
Artist: Workshop of Agnolo Bronzino (Italian (Florence), 1503 - 1572)
Date: 1545 or after
Dimensions:
41 × 30 5/8 in. (104.1 × 77.8 cm)
Medium: oil on wood panel
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1913.232
Label Text:Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519–1574), Grand Duke of Tuscany, considered portraiture an effective vehicle for the fashioning of his personal and political identity. Here, he’s presented as a strong military leader in elaborate parade armor. Twenty-six painted versions of Cosimo I in armor, in various sizes and formats, are known, executed by the Medici court painter Agnolo Bronzino or by workshop assistants following his design (as is the case with this example). All versions served to reinforce the duke’s power through metaphors of rule and dynastic succession.
Here Cosimo wears the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, an exclusive order of knights into which Cosimo was inducted in 1545. The portrait also includes a broncone, or tree stump that sprouts new growth, on which the duke’s helmet rests. The broncone was a device that symbolized the vitality and supremacy of the Medici dynasty. The sprouting olive branch emphasized the Medici family’s pursuit of peace and intellectual development. The imagery defines the duke as an elegant embodiment of the refined Florentine court culture that flourished in times of peace—a peace guaranteed only by Cosimo’s rule and military prowess.
Here Cosimo wears the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, an exclusive order of knights into which Cosimo was inducted in 1545. The portrait also includes a broncone, or tree stump that sprouts new growth, on which the duke’s helmet rests. The broncone was a device that symbolized the vitality and supremacy of the Medici dynasty. The sprouting olive branch emphasized the Medici family’s pursuit of peace and intellectual development. The imagery defines the duke as an elegant embodiment of the refined Florentine court culture that flourished in times of peace—a peace guaranteed only by Cosimo’s rule and military prowess.
Not on view
In Collection(s)