Bronzino (1503-1572)
Eleonora di Toledo col figlio (Eleonora of Toledo and Her Son)
c.1545–1550
Oil on panel, 121.6 x 100 cm
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
Portraiture was an important political tool for the ducal Medici family. Often sent abroad as gifts, portraits such as this one represented the stability and legitimacy of Medici rule in Florence. Eleonora of Toledo (1519–62), the wife of Cosimo I, was the daughter of the viceroy of Naples and therefore an important diplomatic liaison for the Florentine ruler. She and Cosimo had eleven children. The Identity of this child is uncertain, but most likely he is her second son, Giovanni (1543–62). The first version of this portrait (ca. 1545) is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. (DIA)
See also:
• Eleonora di Toledo (1522-1562) | Medici, Giovanni di Cosimo I de’ (1543-1562)