463:, but it is now generally accepted to be Giulia. The child in the portrait appears to be a little girl, rather than a boy, and her expression is anxious. Maria Salviati, who is dressed soberly as befitted a widow, is seen sheltering the vulnerable child against her side. Art historian Gabrielle Langdon argues that the girl's demeanor in the portrait is different than would have been expected for the child Cosimo, whose family anticipated his role as a strong leader from his earliest days. It would have been to Cosimo I's advantage to commission a portrait depicting his mother as an exemplary widow, affectionately bringing up the orphaned daughter of Cosimo I's predecessor. The child's full lips, round nose, and curly reddish hair also bear little resemblance to known portraits of Cosimo as a child, though they do to portraits of the young Alessandro. Other girls of about the right age who were at court during this period also do not resemble the child in the portrait. The portrait might be one of the first in
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376:, her paternal grandmother's chief residence north of Florence. However, other more reliable reports indicate that her stepmother "brought her up very lovingly." Her paternal grandmother supervised the nurseries for all of the children of Cosimo I. All of them, not only Cosimo's illegitimate daughter, spent most of their time at the Villa di Castello and were raised by nurses, with minimal day-to-day contact with their parents, though both Cosimo and Eleonora heard reports of their progress and offered directions for their education, their living arrangements, and the clothing they wore. Bia shared her nursery with
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Bia has her hair parted in the middle of her forehead and a falling bob, with two carefully tied braids framing the face. She wears pearl earrings, a gold chain with a pendant or medallion with her father's profile on it, emphasizing her bond with her father. She also wears a sumptuous dress, made of
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was born six months after her death, her father rejoiced to have another daughter. Contemporaries who might normally have consoled him on his wife's failure to present him with a second son instead congratulated him on her birth, knowing how he had grieved for the loss of Bia. "(I) congratulate you
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that the subject of the portrait was identified as Maria until the 1950s and the pearls depicted in the portrait were a common symbol of the
Medicis, often worn by legitimate female members of the house. Vogt-Lüerssen believes that the child depicted in a famous portrait by Pontormo with
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is actually Bia, her eldest granddaughter, because group portraits in that era depicted family members with close blood relationships and
Salviati's two younger granddaughters, Maria and Isabella, were too young at Salviati's death to be the 5- or 6-year-old girl in the portrait.
456:. She believes that the child does not resemble the known portrait of an adult Giulia de' Medici and that the relationship between Maria Salviati and Giulia was not close enough to have warranted a portrait. Most group portraits were of family members with close blood ties.
166:– a rigid official pose offset by some hints of hand movement, as if the character was about to get up, along with an intense but emotionless gaze straight at the viewer. The face is lit and highlighted by the blue background, whilst the cold light and absence of any strong
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It was not an official state portrait, but would have hung in the family's private rooms as a reminder to them of the dead child and an inspiration and guide on the path to salvation. As art historian
Gabrielle Langdon argues, Bronzino painted the child with a
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after the birth of
Isabella. A comparison of portraits of Bia and Isabella reveal that, had she lived past early childhood, Bia likely would have closely resembled her half-sister Isabella, who shared her reddish-blonde hair, brown eyes, and dainty features.
384:, who was close to her in age. She grew into a high-spirited, loving little girl who kept her grandmother and nurses entertained with her antics. Bia's father adored his first-born child, and her paternal grandmother,
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blue satin with puffy sleeves, produced in the silk factories Cosimo was setting up in
Florence at the time. With her right hand she is fiddling with the end or tassel of a golden chain or belt around her waist.
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Both Bia and her cousin Giulia contracted a fast-moving fever in
February 1542, from which Giulia recovered but Bia did not. Cosimo I received almost daily reports of Bia's worsening condition from his mother,
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and a floor plan of the palace in
Florence that was once her home. The sculpture, which is owned by a private collector, was on display during a recent retrospective of Cornell's work originating with the
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121:. For a long time it was displayed in the Tribuna at the heart of the museum, but since 2012 it has been moved to the "sale rosse" of the Nuovi Uffizi. A second portrait, by
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effect accentuates the smoothness of the subject's complexion and idealises her features. Her complexion is a pale white because
Bronzino painted the portrait using her
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reproduction of
Bronzino's portrait in a dark wooden box, behind a blurred, deep blue glass pane. On either side of the main portrait are smaller
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The identity of Bia's mother is not known, but Cosimo I was likely no older than sixteen when he fathered her. According to
Edgcumbe Staley's
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incorporates Bronzino's portrait of the girl. The sculpture, one of a series depicting members of the Medici family, shows an
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on the beautiful baby girl God has conceded to you in recompense for the one he has taken to join him in paradise," wrote
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Regardless of which Medici daughter it depicts, the painting has continued to inspire modern artists. American sculptor
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reproductions of the same portrait, behind glass as well. Below the girl's image, in a pull-out drawer, are a
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Maike Vogt-Lüerssen argues that the famous painting actually depicts Bia's younger, legitimate half sister,
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In: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für vergleichende Kunstforschung in Wien, 69, Nr. 1/2, Febr. 2017, 1–6.
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that the child in the portrait with Maria Salviati is actually Salviati's granddaughter
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Bronzino shows the child half-length and sitting on a chair, similar to the pose in his
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Vogt-Lüerssen, Maike. The True Faces of the Daughters and Sons of Cosimo I de' Medici
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Vogt-Lüerssen, Maike: The True Faces of the Daughters and Sons of Cosimo I de' Medici
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125:, has also been argued to show Bia de' Medici, but this identification is disputed.
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325:, some stories said the girl's mother was a village girl from Trebbio, where the
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625:""Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination" (January 5, 2008), ARTiculations,
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A 1954 Saarland stamp of the Bia de' Medici portrait, commemorating the work of
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In a portrait by Pontormo, the child's identification, according to the
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with her father's profile on it, emphasizing her bond with her father.
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After her death, many art historians believe her father commissioned a
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64 cm × 48 cm (25 in × 19 in)
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432:, c. 1537 or 1542; Oil on panel, Baltimore, The Walters Art Museum.
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592:"The True Faces of the Daughters and Sons of Cosimo I de' Medici"
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The portrait has also been identified with other women, such as
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Staley wrote that the little girl was called La Bia, short for
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714:"Portrait of Maria Salviati de' Medici and Giulia de' Medici"
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on wood. In the famous painting, which is on display in the
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ancestry. This painting is in the permanent collection of
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with Giulia de' Medici or Bia de' Medici in a portrait by
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Some art historians once identified the child as a young
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on the beholder," Langdon wrote in the 2004 collection
368:' daughter. Staley wrote that her father's new wife,
341:. Only Cosimo I and the girl's paternal grandmother,
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Der Tod und das Mädchen – Bia oder Maria de' Medici?
779:
Medici Women: Portraits of Power, Love, and Betrayal
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542:
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522:"Agnolo Bronzino :: Biography ► Virtual Uffizi"
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Medicea – Rivista interdisciplinare di studi medicei
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Medicea – Rivista interdisciplinare di studi medicei
1070:Holy Family with St. Anne and the Infant St. John
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535:
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728:"From Kongo to Othello to Tango to Museum Shows"
654:Staley, Edgcumbe. The Tragedies of the Medici.
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364:or perhaps a classical name, deriving from
360:). The name might also have been short for
970:Portrait of Giovanni de' Medici as a Child
906:Portrait of a Young Man as Saint Sebastian
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316:Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
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793:The Cultural World of Eleanora Di Toledo
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223:The Cultural World of Eleanora Di Toledo
382:Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence
249:. Vogt-Lüerssen noted in an article in
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109:is an oil-tempera on wood painting by
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442:National Endowment for the Humanities
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1196:Paintings by Bronzino in the Uffizi
962:Portrait of the Dwarf Nano Morgante
930:Portrait of a Young Man with a Book
922:Portrait of Andrea Doria as Neptune
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938:Portrait of Bartolomeo Panciatichi
318:, born before his first marriage.
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440:and scholarship sponsored by the
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186:effect, in "light-emitting white
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978:Portrait of Lucrezia Panciatichi
809:. USA: Oxford University Press.
403:When her legitimate half-sister
163:Portrait of Lucrezia Panciatichi
954:Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici
781:. University of Toronto Press.
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1054:Adoration of the Bronze Snake
986:Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo
791:Eisenbichler, Konrad (2004).
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1186:Portraits by Italian artists
1097:Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time
914:Portrait of Ugolino Martelli
880:
805:Murphy, Caroline P. (2008).
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202:'s) 'Laura,' the posthumous
7:
994:Portrait of Stefano Colonna
822:The Tragedies of the Medici
807:Murder of a Medici Princess
795:. Ashgate Publishing, Inc.
777:Langdon, Gabrielle (2006).
578:Eisenbichler (2004), p. 49.
323:The Tragedies of the Medici
10:
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1030:Adoration of the Shepherds
946:Portrait of Bia de' Medici
742:"Faces of the Renaissance"
106:Portrait of Bia de' Medici
33:Portrait of Bia de' Medici
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483:in Baltimore, Maryland.
310:– 1 March 1542) was the
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1038:Panciatichi Holy Family
680:Langdon (2006), p. 100.
569:Langdon (2006), p. 103.
329:had built one of their
1181:16th-century portraits
671:Langdon (2006), p. 99.
481:The Walters Art Museum
471:of a girl of presumed
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1201:Paintings of children
1191:Renaissance portraits
1166:Portraits by Bronzino
1105:Allegory of Happiness
768:Galleria degli Uffizi
754:Langdon (2006), p. 40
689:Murphy (2008), p. 18.
560:Murphy (2008), p. 32.
548:Murphy (2008), p. 17.
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147:Galleria degli Uffizi
1128:Cappella di Eleonora
1062:Deposition of Christ
27:Painting by Bronzino
1138:Cosimo I de' Medici
635:on October 24, 2008
461:Cosimo I de' Medici
405:Isabella de' Medici
137:painting of her by
18:Bia de' Medici
1171:Portraits of women
1089:Flaying of Marsyas
819:Staley, Edgcumbe.
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659:2007-12-17 at the
438:Walters Art Museum
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370:Eleonora di Toledo
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446:Giulia de' Medici
417:Pontormo painting
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374:Villa di Castello
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1057:(1540–1545)
1033:(1539–1540)
917:(1536–1537)
639:February 4,
465:Renaissance
398:San Lorenzo
354:little girl
335:gentlewoman
308: 1536
168:chiaroscuro
129:Description
74:Oil on wood
64: 1542
1160:Categories
770:, collana
498:References
172:death mask
135:posthumous
80:Dimensions
1146:(teacher)
1133:Mannerism
1100:(c. 1545)
1092:(c. 1531)
1014:Religious
997:(c. 1546)
989:(c. 1545)
981:(c. 1545)
973:(c. 1545)
949:(c. 1542)
941:(c. 1540)
933:(c. 1540)
909:(c. 1533)
898:Portraits
527:6 October
263:Influence
216:purifying
208:emanation
198:. "Like (
196:innocence
155:medallion
1144:Pontormo
1140:(patron)
882:Bronzino
766:AA.VV.,
657:Archived
488:Isabella
477:European
430:Pontormo
339:Florence
281:vignette
277:enameled
200:Petrarch
151:Florence
123:Pontormo
119:Florence
96:Florence
88:Location
1116:Related
1081:Secular
473:African
350:Bambina
327:Medicis
285:feather
143:tempera
1108:(1567)
1065:(1545)
1049:(1542)
1041:(1541)
1025:(1529)
965:(1552)
957:(1545)
813:
799:
785:
469:Europe
366:Pallas
362:Bianca
212:Heaven
192:pearls
115:Uffizi
92:Uffizi
70:Medium
47:Artist
1022:Pietà
492:Maria
467:-era
337:from
219:grace
210:from
188:satin
811:ISBN
797:ISBN
783:ISBN
641:2015
529:2016
475:and
358:baby
190:and
184:halo
103:The
57:Year
490:or
356:or
303:, (
204:Bia
149:in
117:in
1162::
694:^
594:.
583:^
553:^
537:^
494:.
400:.
305:c.
292:.
225:.
94:,
61:c.
874:e
867:t
860:v
824:.
744:.
716:.
643:.
629:"
531:.
352:(
241:.
20:)
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