Decoration of the Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano (1519-1521)
by Jacopo PONTORMO

Pontormo took part in the decoration of the salone of the Medicean Villa of Poggio a Caiano, a country villa at the foot of Montalbano much favoured by Lorenzo il Magnifico. He represented the classical myth of Vertumnus and Pomona on a lunette.

The theme of the lunette fresco by Pontormo is traditionally described as Vertumnus and Pomona, the pictorial representation of the classical myth taken from a story in Ovid's Metamorphosis. This goes back to Vasari, who reported that Pontormo was asked to depict Vertumnus and some figures.

However. Vasari's text is not a description of this fresco. A possible explanation of the subject could be that the lunette represents the gods Liber (Bacchus) and Ceres, and personifications of the Four Seasons.

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
View of the Salone
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

907*1100
True Color
238 Kb



Lunette fresco
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1318*670
True Color
152 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1053*1300
True Color
237 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1061*1300
True Color
238 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1050*1101
True Color
248 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1007*1300
True Color
216 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1007*1300
True Color
189 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1400*886
True Color
224 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1400*877
True Color
192 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

825*985
True Color
126 Kb



Lunette fresco (detail)
1519-21
Fresco
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

1058*840
True Color
125 Kb




Paintings by Jacopo PONTORMO
| Early works (1514-1520) | Mature works (after 1520) |
| Poggio a Caiano (1519-1521) | Cappella Capponi (c. 1528) |
Drawings
| until 1525 | from 1526 |