Attributed to Alessandro Allori (Italian, 1535–1607)
Francesco de' Medici
INV-2468
Attributed to Alessandro Allori (Italian, 1535–1607)c. 1560
Francesco de' Medici
Attributed to Alessandro Allori (Italian, 1535–1607) →16th CenturyBaroquepaintingoil on panel
Date
c. 1560
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
97.9 × 76.4 cm (38 1/2 × 30 1/8 in.); Framed: 117.7 × 96.9 × 10.2 cm (46 3/8 × 38 1/8 × 4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.
Francesco de’ Medici was the oldest son of Florentine duke Cosimo I de’ Medici and Eleanora di Toledo, great patrons of the arts who instilled the same appreciation in their children. Francesco is shown here displaying a cameo of an unidentified female figure, highlighting his interest in collecting. One of his creations as a patron was the so-called Studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, a space dedicated to the appreciation of refined, intricate works of art and scientific curiosities. Francesco succeeded his father as Grand Duke of Tuscany only grudgingly, preferring a life of scholarship to statecraft.
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