Bronzino was a cultivated Renaissance man; he wrote poetry, based on the
example of the Roman scholar Petrarch. However he was also responsible for
a series of bawdy verses filled with eroticism and references to homosexuality.
This duality in his character fitted in well with the requirements of his
patron, Cosimo di Medici. It was almost certainly that aspect of the painter’s
personality that enjoyed the writing of scurrilous and erotic verses which
made Bronzino’s most famous painting for his patron, An Allegory of
Venus and Cupid, such a sensual and intriguing painting. However his major
commissions for the Duke were as a painter of religious themes and portraits
of the Duke’s family, courtiers and allies. It is his work as a portraitist
that has made Bronzino’s reputation and Cosimo relied on the artist
to present the power of the Medici to the world.
The new ruler of the city of Florence was determined to “show that
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