Francesco de' Medici
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.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24684
Art Historical Context
Step into the grand tradition of Renaissance portraiture with Alessandro Allori's *Francesco de' Medici (c. 1560), a striking oil-on-panel depiction of the young heir to the powerful Medici dynasty in Florence. Allori, a leading Mannerist painter and pupil of Agnolo Bronzino, captures Francesco I—future Grand Duke of Tuscany—with poised elegance, showcasing the family's immense political and cultural influence during Cosimo I's rule. Measuring nearly life-size at 97.9 × 76.4 cm, this intimate yet imposing work exemplifies the Medici court's love for lavish portraiture that conveyed status and ...