Portrait of Bia de' Medici
Agnolo Bronzino
1542. Tempera on panel. 63 x 48 cm. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
A poignant and celebrated posthumous portrait of the illegitimate daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who died at the age of five. Bronzino, a master of Florentine Mannerism, captures her with an aristocratic, icy, and flawless elegance. Painted against a mesmerizing lapis lazuli background, her pale, alabaster skin contrasts with the meticulous rendering of her rich satin dress and pearls. The gold medallion bearing her father's profile confirms her cherished place within the dynasty and serves as a testament to his grief.
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