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Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro

ca. 1488
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 602

This dynastic portrait shows the Florentine banker Francesco Sassetti and his young son Teodoro, born in 1479. Teodoro was named after his elder brother, who died that same year. The boy’s pose reflects the preference for presenting women and children in profile to accentuate their holiness and purity, while the frontal, contemplative gaze of his father emphasizes the wisdom (and worries) of age. Sassetti managed the Medici banks in Avignon, Geneva, and Lyons, and was an advisor to Piero de’ Medici and Lorenzo the Magnificent. The background shows an oratory built by Sassetti in Geneva.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro
  • Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) (Italian, Florence 1448/49–1494 Florence)
  • Date: ca. 1488
  • Medium: Tempera on wood
  • Dimensions: Overall 33 1/4 x 25 1/8 in. (84.5 x 63.8 cm); painted surface 29 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. (75.9 x 53 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.7.7
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Standing Figure of Saint Stephen and the Head of Another Figure Within the Framing Outlines of a Rectangle, Crude Sketch of the Head of Another Figure, Undecipherable Sketch of a Polygonal or Circular Object with Small Projections, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Pen and brown ink; leadpoint or soft black chalk
Standing Figure of Saint Stephen and the Head of Another Figure Within the Framing Outlines of a Rectangle, Crude Sketch of the Head of Another Figure, Undecipherable Sketch of a Polygonal or Circular Object with Small Projections
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
1492–94
Saint Christopher and the Infant Christ, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Fresco
Saint Christopher and the Infant Christ
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
Head of a Man Wearing a Cap, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Metalpoint, heightened with brush and white, on reddish orange prepared paper.
Head of a Man Wearing a Cap
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
ca. 1495–1505
Portrait of a Man, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Tempera on wood
Portrait of a Man
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
Head of an Old Woman, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Metalpoint on pink prepared paper
Returned to lender
Head of an Old Woman
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
1485–90

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Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) - Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro - The Metropolitan Museum of Art