PONTORMO, Jacopo
(b. 1494, Pontormo, d. 1557, Firenze)

Cosimo I de' Medici

1537
Oil on panel, 48 x 31 cm
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

This portrait depicts Cosimo I de' Medici at the age of about eighteen. It is based on a drawing definitely made by Pontormo. In making the painting, another artists, probably Pierfrancesco Foschi, may have assisted him. The painting was made soon after Cosimo became duke, it may have served as a model for a more finished portrait or for sculptors or medalists who needed to portray him.