Portrait of a Womanc. 1550 · Study 1972.121

Context from the museum

Bronzino was court painter to Cosimo I de’Medici, the Duke of Florence. Though the woman cannot be definitively identified, she was likely affiliated with the Medici court. As in most of the portraits in this gallery, Bronzino emphasizes wealth, status, and courtly refinement above personality or individualized expression. The plain background further accentuates the work’s monumentality and grandeur, despite its small scale. The hand placed against the chest with elegantly spread fingers extends back to an ancient Greek pose of modesty, here emphasizing the proper comportment of a woman of high status. The sitter wears a linen partlet (collar) delicately embroidered in matt stitch, part of which is, like her cuffs, trimmed in fine lace.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Portrait of a Woman is 48.8 cm wide and 60 cm high, equivalent to approximately 19.2 × 23.6 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.81:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.29 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 16.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 125.6 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Portrait of a Woman in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on wood, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 48.8 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?