Research Entry 6:The Portrait of Cosimo I as Orpheus

 

Bronzino, Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici as Orpheus, Estimated Date 1537-39. 

The  portrait of Cosimo de’ Medici are a subject of particular interest. Bronzino’s portrait of Cosimo as Orpheus was likely not meant for public display- the classical with was imagery for the imperial court. It’s Ironic that Alessandro de’ Medici the sexual extravagant, was depicted by Pontormo as a disciplined draftsman, while Cosimo- the disciplined statesmen was captured by Bronzino as a sexually potent demigod- Hercules. There are several suggestions as to why Bronzino decided to paint Cosimo the way he did. Humor, Artistic experimentation, and there are also suggestions that Cosimo sought to teach a lesson to the King about the dangers of sex and the importance of procreation (Strehlke, 29).

 Detail of Above Image

Bronzino, like Cosimo covered an array of styles that carried into several interlocking social worlds. Each artist was able to decide how to portray their artistic portrayals with a sense of “dissimulation” (Strehlke, 30). Pontormo on the other hand, did not belong to the academy and never abandoned the inspiration for his earlier work; he showed no interest in subscribing to the manner of transforming heroic figures into demigods through forms of ancient scripture. Bronzino proved himself by meeting the needs of the new regime. Bronzino and Pontormo’s complex relationship as friend, brother, father and master meant that Bronzino would not distance himself too far, dispite their artistic differences. Bronzino wrote many poems, especially to honor the deaths of friends- at Pontormo’s passing, he wrote more than 14 (Strehlke, 30).