ticketsMember | Make a donation

Portrait of Cosimo de' Medici in full armor, his left hand resting on a staff

After Baccio Bandinelli Italian
1544
Not on view
Cosimo is presented as an imperial Roman figure, wearing antique armor that bears the ram of Augustus at the waist and on the helmet and the eagle of Camillus on the torso. Also adorning the armor are symbols of contemporary Florence such as Hercules, whose labors are depicted on the leg plates and whose lion pelt forms the standard, and the heraldic lion known as the Marzocco, found at the waist and topping the standard. This conflation of Medici, civic, and imperial imagery cements Cosimo’s image as absolute ruler of Florence.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of Cosimo de' Medici in full armor, his left hand resting on a staff
  • Artist: Niccolò della Casa (French, active Italy, ca. 1543–48)
  • Artist: After Baccio Bandinelli (Italian, Gaiole in Chianti 1493–1560 Florence)
  • Date: 1544
  • Medium: Engraving; first state of two
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 17 1/8 in. × 12 in. (43.5 × 30.5 cm)
    Plate: 16 13/16 × 11 9/16 in. (42.7 × 29.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of M. Feltenstein, 2013
  • Object Number: 2013.963.2
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Angels Carrying the Cross with Saints below (upper left section of the Last Judgment), Niccolò della Casa French, Engraving
Angels Carrying the Cross with Saints below (upper left section of the Last Judgment)
Niccolò della Casa
Michelangelo Buonarroti
1548
Angels Carrying Pillar with Saints Below (upper right section of the Last Judgment), Niccolò della Casa French, Engraving
Angels Carrying Pillar with Saints Below (upper right section of the Last Judgment)
Niccolò della Casa
Michelangelo Buonarroti
1548
Trumpeting Angels and Damned Souls Being Pulled Down by Devils (lower center and right section of the Last Judgment), Niccolò della Casa French, Engraving
Trumpeting Angels and Damned Souls Being Pulled Down by Devils (lower center and right section of the Last Judgment)
Niccolò della Casa
Michelangelo Buonarroti
1548
Resurrection of the Dead (lower left section of the Last Judgment), Niccolò della Casa French, Engraving
Resurrection of the Dead (lower left section of the Last Judgment)
Niccolò della Casa
Michelangelo Buonarroti
1548
Christ as Judge Surrounded by Saints (upper central section of the Last Judgment), Niccolò della Casa French, Engraving
Christ as Judge Surrounded by Saints (upper central section of the Last Judgment)
Niccolò della Casa
Michelangelo Buonarroti
1548

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.