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Jacopo da Pontormo
Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) Italian
Not on view
Bronzino’s drawing portrays his teacher and lifelong friend Pontormo in a pose based on one of Michelangelo’s sculptures in the Medici Chapel. Pontormo wears ordinary clothes and holds a folded letter. Bronzino experimented with different positions for the hand. The drawing may have functioned as a template for other portraits, but the fully conceived pose and careful finish are appropriate for an independent drawing rather than a preparatory study for a painting. In it, we have an informal and intimate portrayal, possibly made during one of the frequent visits recorded in Pontormo’s diary.
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