Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Cosimo I de' Medici
Benvenuto Cellini Italian
Not on view
The dynamic pose, the sitter’s fierce, piercing gaze (made more intense by being silvered), the richly decorated armor, and the brilliantly varied surface treatment make this over-life-size bust an extraordinary portrait of power. The classical parade armor, adorned with a winged head of Medusa and masks, confers a timeless aura of authority and prestige, connecting Duke Cosimo with a genealogy of ancient Roman imperial portraits. Below Medusa is the emblem of the Order of the Golden Fleece, an honor he received in 1545 from Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Cosimo had this bust, originally enhanced with gilding, set over the entrance to Portoferraio—a fortress of strategic importance that had been renamed Cosmopolis, after the duke—on the island of Elba in 1557.
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