User:AlexandraScott21/Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo

OA: The Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Her Son is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, finished ca. 1545. One of his most famous works, it is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy and is considered one of the preeminent examples of Mannerist portraiture.

History

Medici Family

Bronzino’s most well-known and long-term patrons were Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519- 1574) and his Spanish wife, Duchess Eleonora di Toledo (1522-1562). (Gertenbach, 17)

After Alessandro de’ Medici was assassinated in 1537, Cosimo I de’ Medici was granted the Ducal title by Emperor Charles V. Throughout his Ducal reign, Cosimo managed to control Florence and ruled it with a firm hand. Trying to aesthetically improve Florence as well as establish himself as a strong ruler, the securer of a dynasty and as an educated, pious man, Cosimo commissioned many artworks and architectural constructions. Regarded as a man of art and culture, praised for his fine taste for all that is beautiful, he was (partly) responsible for the fine Medici collections in which numerous antiquities were collected.28 In 1539, Cosimo married the Spanish Eleonora di Toledo: daughter of the Viceroy of Naples, Don Pedro de Toledo. As far as we know, they a happy and fruitful marriage that resulted in eleven children (not all reached adulthood). Almost immediately from their wedding onwards, Bronzino was their favoured painter, a position that did not lessen until the 1550s.29 Vasari writes that Bronzino was first noticed for his talents at the wedding of Cosimo and Eleonora where he painted two scenes regarding the Medici history that were to serve as decoration during the wedding banquet on July 6, 1539.30 Bronzino may also have contributed designs to the triumphal procession that took place during the wedding ceremony and decorated the base of an equestrian statue made by Tribolo.31 Although these aforementioned creations have been lost to us forever, they must have caught Cosimo’s eye, as it were the wedding designs that caused him to commission Bronzino to “adorn a chapel of no great size in the Ducal Palace for the Lady Duchess […]”.32 (Gertenbach, 17-18)

He made public and private portraits of the Duke, Duchess and their children, but also allegories, religious and devotional works, the chapel of Eleonora being the first grand project he did for the Ducal couple.33 Hereafter, I will make an overview of Bronzino’s most notable commissions for the Medici court. (Gertenbach, 18)

The marriage of Eleonora of Toledo and Cosimo I de’ Medici is perhaps one of the great love stories of the Renaissance. The second daughter of the viceroy from Spain, Cosimo first laid eyes on Eleonora during a trip to Naples.  After Cosimo became duke, he asked Eleonora’s father for her hand in marriage. Her father tried to convince Cosimo to take her older sister for a much larger dowry, but Cosimo, remembering Eleonora’s beauty, insisted on the younger daughter. The two were married in 1539, and it is reputed that Cosimo remained faithful to her throughout his marriage, even though it would have been easy for him to take a mistress. Eleonora was Cosimo’s constant companion, and even acted as his regent when he was ill. Because of her role as “first lady,” she is often regarded as the first modern woman. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/)

Eleonora was born in Spain in 1522. In 1534, two years after her father was appointed viceroy of Spanish-ruled Naples, Eleonora along with her mother, Doña María Osorio y Pimentel, and siblings, joined Don Pedro de Toledo, her father at the glamorous court of Naples. Five years later, at the age of seventeen, she married the newly appointed Duke of Florence, Cosimo I de’Medici. Cosimo descended from a secondary branch of the mighty Medici clan and had come to power suddenly upon the assassination of his cousin, Alessandro de’Medici, the first Duke of Florence. While the Medici were rich and well-connected, they were not descended from nobility—these were merchant bankers whose political power came from the money they earned through shrewd business dealings. Eleonora, born into Spanish nobility and raised at a royal court with a father closely tied to the Holy Roman Emperor, was quite the catch. Cosimo’s new regime benefitted from Eleonora’s shrewd business mind and imperial contacts while her fertility—she gave birth to eleven children—guaranteed the new Medici family lineage. As Duchess of Florence, Eleonora helped define the consort’s role as matriarch and political helpmate, often ruling in her husband’s stead when war or diplomacy took Cosimo from the capital. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/chapel-eleonora-di-toledo-florence/)

Eleonora di Medici

Nonetheless, contemporary opinion regarding Eleonora was split. To some, she was an overly religious Spaniard who refused to learn Italian. To others, she was a gambler and shrew, who spent much time in leisure at the Medici countryside villas. Whichever side you choose to take, it is undeniable that Eleonora was a boon to the Florentine people: she gave birth to eleven children and brought with her a large Spanish dowry. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/) In Agnolo Bronzino’s Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo and her Son Giovanni, it is these last facts that Bronzino sought to immortalize. The painting shows a much-idealized Eleonora in an elaborately decorated and bejeweled dress, which dominates the painting. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/)

Angelo di Cosimo, Bronzino

Bronzino also painted Eleonora di Toledo on several occasions. Having already made an individual portrait of her in 1543 (fig. 17), Bronzino’s most well-known portrayal of the young duchess was Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo and her son Giovanni (fig. 18). In this portrait the presence of her son and several other motifs allude to her fertility, chasteness, heritage and general Medici superiority. This work has been analysed extensively with the result that tens of interpretations have been argued.52 It has served as the pivotal image for Eleonora’s likeness for a long time, as well as form the compositional foundation for another double-portrait in 1549 with Francesco de’ Medici (fig. 19).53 (Gertenbach, 22)

Cosimo and Eleonora entrusted Bronzino with creating visual representatives of their children, which commemorated the Medici family for eternity. There must have been some emotional value too since the Ducal couple lost some of their children before they reached adulthood. (Gertenbach, 22)

Being the Medici court-painter for nearly twenty-five years assured him a solid reputation as a loyal Medici courtier, portraitist, decorator and member of the Academy. By his own contemporaries – consisting of friends, colleagues, and even rivals – Bronzino is seen as a gifted artist. According to Karen Hope Goodchild, the Florentine artist was recalled as the ‘Apollo and Apelles of his day’ by other Renaissance poets. Being associated with the ancient God of Poetry and the, arguably, most successful painters of Ancient Greece had to have been a great honour. (Gertenbach, 27)

Visual Details

To her right is her small son Giovanni, also dressed in an expensive garment. His full face and shining complexion testify to his health, and the supposition that he would grow into adulthood. The pair is set against a shallow blue background, and it almost appears as if Eleonora is radiating a halo.  This lends the painting the feel of an icon of the Madonna and Child, emphasizing the importance and sanctity of the duchess and her son. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/)

This is the first state portrait to include a likeness of the ruler’s heir. However, Giovanni was Eleonora’s second son, and no portrait exists of her and her first son, Francesco. This painting, then, is meant to testify to Eleonora’s fertility—in a short time, she produced not one, but two male heirs for a family that was on the verge of dying out—and, consequently, the security of the Medici dynasty. This in turn signified the security of the future of Florence. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/)

People have used the portrait as a basis for describing Eleonora as cold and aloof. She does appear to look down on us, and there is very little interaction between her and her son.  This is very different compared to paintings of the Madonna and Child that Bronzino produced, which do show the Virgin interacting with the Christ child in a genuinely warm way. However, in Mannerist painting, there is a great difference in the way religious and secular subjects are portrayed. The coldness that we perceive in the portrait of Eleonora was typical of court portraiture, and cannot be used as evidence about her character. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/)

OA: The painting depicts Eleanor of Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, sitting with her hand resting on the shoulder of one of her sons. This gesture, as well as the pomegranate motif on her dress, referred to her role as mother. Eleanor wears a heavily brocaded dress with black arabesques. In this pose, she is depicted as the ideal woman of the Renaissance. The painting is the first known state-commissioned portrait to include the ruler's heir. By including the child, Cosimo wished to imply that his rule would bring stability to the duchy.

OA: The portrait has been called "cold", reflecting the sober formality of Eleanor's native Spanish Court, without the warmth typically expected of a portrait of mother and child. Such distancing is typical of the Mannerist school's rejection of naturalism.

Clothing

Eleonora’s dowry was comprised largely of Spanish textiles. Therefore, the iconic dress that she wears is a symbol of this fortune and the riches she brought from Spain.  Richly brocaded, Bronzino is able to use the dress to show his mastery of creating illusionistic textures. Over the centuries, people became so enamored with the dress that rumors started that she had been buried in it. Exhumation of her body, however, revealed that she had in fact not been, though she was wearing the pearl hairnet from the painting.  Goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini (most famous for his sculpture of Perseus in the Piazza della Signoria) may have created the gold belt she wears around her waist. The painting also shows that she was not beholden to Florence’s sumptuary laws, or proscriptions regarding the display of wealth in one’s clothing. (Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/bronzino-portrait-of-eleonora-of-toledo-with-her-son-giovanni/)

Detail of the brocaded velvet.

OA: Conversely, Eleanor's gown of elaborate brocaded velvet, with its massed bouclé effects of gold weft loops in the style called riccio sopra riccio (loop over loop), is painstakingly replicated. The painting is perhaps an advertisement for the Florentine silk industry, which had fallen in popularity in the first difficult years of the sixteenth century and was revived in the reign of Cosimo I. The precious golden belt, decorated with jewels and beads with a tassel, may have been made by the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini.

OA: Eleanor is depicted wearing a formal gown over a camisa or smock of linen trimmed with narrow bands of blackwork embroidery at the neck and sleeve ruffles. Bronzino's painting captures the dimensionality of the brocaded silk velvet fabric in the gown with its loops of gold-wrapped thread and black pile arabesques against a white satin ground. Clothing made of such rich textiles was reserved for official occasions and was not typical of Eleanor's everyday wardrobe, which featured solid-coloured gowns of velvets and satins.

Eleanor's beautiful and elaborate dress also shows how Spanish influence was affecting fashion. The neckline has moved upward in contrast to the garments of the early years of the century. Her bodice constricts her chest into an unnatural cylinder, which, although undoubtedly uncomfortable, presents an ideal surface for the display of the magnificent pomegranate5 pattern of the fabric. The costume and fabric are given such importance that the painting almost becomes a still life. This particular garment would not have been everyday wear; Eleanor has chosen her favorite, most elegant gown in which to be memorialized in her portrait. We know that this was a special gown to her not only because she was depicted in it in her portraits, but also because she was buried in it. (Thomas)

According to those who saw the actual dress, it is indeed satin. Their identification of the undergown as velvet demonstrates that eyewitnesses recognized a difference in the two fabrics. If we assume they know what a velvet is, and a satin, and do not confuse the two (which is highly unlikely, since the textures are easily discernable in a side-by-side comparison of actual fabrics), we know the structure of the fabric. The committee identified the brocading as embroidery, but (unlike the comparison of velvet and satin) an understanding of the the difference between the two is not commonly found in popular usage, where they are often confused. Technically the two processes are dissimilar, but what is sometimes called embroidery by the general public is actually brocade, and is woven into the fabric. The fabric, then, is a brocaded satin. It is probably a brocaded damask, a form of satin in which two separate weaves of differing texture (one warp-faced, one weft-faced) are utilized to produce a pattern by means of areas of greater or lesser gloss. The damask is then brocaded in the patterned area. (Thomas)

The historical context of mid-sixteenth-century Florence also suggests that the dress is domestically manufactured. Cosimo was actively engaged in revitalizing the Florentine textile industry. After an earlier decline in this economically important aspect of the Tuscan economy, production increased dramatically in the middle decades of the sixteenth century. By 1560-75, annual output reached 33 000 pieces. Between 155o-I620 silk replaced wool as the major export22. Numerous laws regarding silk and linen manufacturing were enacted in 1546, the year the portrait was painted23. Cosimo's protectionist attitude toward the industry was such that in 1540 the silk guild was allowed to ban popular imported silks known as dobletti. Silk export bounties which had begun in 1534 were already lifted in 1538 when supply fell short of demand24. To have an official portrait of his wife, the duchess, painted in other than Florentine silks would have been a contradictory and ironic move on Cosimo's part. (Thomas)

Any commissioning, however, was likely done by the sitter. Eleanor's money was extremely important for the rise of Florence under Cosimo I. She borrowed money for the state both in her name alone and jointly with Cosimo6. Contemporary reports indicate that Eleanor was a capable woman. Fond of gambling, she nevertheless took over the reigns of government for a short while in 1543 while Cosimo was sick. With the help of advisers, she proved herself an able ruler27. I suggest that Eleanor commissioned the fabric herself to be patterned after a Spanish design. Jakob Burckhardt describes how in sixteenth-century Italy the imitation of the fashions of other countries was common28. Because such fabrics with brocaded pomegranate patterns in gold and silver as we see in the portrait were prominent in Spain,29 the Spanish-born Eleanor likely had a taste for them. Although the pattern itself may have had Spanish origins, Eleanor's official commission of a fabric by local manufacturers would have had political and propagandistic ramifications because of the ongoing revitalization of the textile industry. It would show official faith in the quality of domestic silks. It would demonstrate that Florentines could make products similar to and as luxurious as those of Spain. It would help, too, in gaining public acceptance of the foreign duchess; by wearing domestically made clothes, Eleanor actively demonstrated her new role as Duchess of Florence and discouraged the suspicions aroused by her Spanish background. (Thomas)

As memorialized by Bronzino, her portrait became a symbol for the political and economic rebirth of Florence: politically through her representation as the elegant duchess, Cosimo's wife; and economically by showing visible support for the textile industry. The presence of their son Giovanni is a reminder of the promise of future generations of Medici leadership and support for the city. (Thomas)

The same stylish sophistication is present in art. Mannerism is an art of elegance, grace, artifice, and refinement. It is an art of extremes. Bronzino's Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Son Giovanni shows the extremes it could reach. The chilling, sculpturesqe surface finish of the flesh is hallucinatory in its hyperreality. The excruciatingly detailed rendering of the exquisite and elegant pattern is matched in its complexity by the dense layers of meaning found in the the painting's iconography. (Thomas)

Iconography

Historical Context

Politics

Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Her Son
Italian: Eleonora di Toledo col figlio Giovanni
Artist	Bronzino
Year	circa 1545
Type	Oil on panel
Dimensions	115 cm × 96 cm (45 in × 38 in)
Location	Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

OA: The child has been variously identified as being either Eleanor's son Francesco (born 1541), Giovanni (born 1543) or Garzia (born 1547). If the subject is the latter, the portrait should be dated around 1550–53, but the date is now generally assigned to c. 1545, based on an examination of the evolution of Bronzino's style, which would suggest Giovanni.

Clothing

OA: When Eleanor's body was exhumed in the 19th century, some concluded she had been buried in the same dress as in the portrait. An almost identical hairnet might have caused this confusion. But newer research shows that she was buried in a much simpler white satin gown over a crimson velvet bodice (and probably a matching petticoat, which has not survived). After a long and complex restoration, the original clothing has been conserved and detailed reconstructions are displayed in the Costume Gallery in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence. The original garments are much too fragile for public display.

References

External videos
Smarthistory – Bronzino's Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni

Sources

• Arnold, Janet (1985). Patterns of fashion 3: The cut and construction of clothes for men and women, c. 1560–1620. London New York: Macmillan Drama Book. ISBN 0896760839.
• Buticchi, Susanna. La Grande Storia dell'Arte. Cinquecento. Firenze. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Landini, Roberta Orsi; Bruna, Niccola (2005). Moda a Firenze 1540–1580: Lo stile di Eleonora di Toledo e la sua influenza. Italy: Mauro Pagliai.
• Monnas, Lisa (2012). Renaissance Velvets. London New York: V&A Pub. Distributed in North America by Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 9781851776566.