The artwork
The young man Pontormo drew on this sheet was long identified as Ippolito de' Medici, a cardinal while still a boy, who died at twenty-four. It comes printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.
- A portrait of a young man, drawn and squared up for transfer to a painting.
- A portrait format for a study, a hallway or a bookcase.
- A gift for lovers of portraits, of drawing and of Medici history.
Ippolito was the nephew of Pope Clement VII and the cousin of Alessandro, the first Duke of Florence. He was made a cardinal in 1529 and died in 1535, perhaps poisoned. The identification with the young man in the drawing is traditional, and scholars report it with caution.
The sheet is squared up, that is, covered with a grid used to transfer the drawing to a painting on a larger scale. The gaze and the pose were already settled here, before the colour.
It is held at the Uffizi, in the Prints and Drawings Department, under number 452 F, and is among the drawings lent to the exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome.
In a study or beside your books, it is a face that invites questions. The gift for lovers of portraits and of Medici mysteries.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
Framed size: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with a gold fillet, handmade, with glass
