Portrait of Ugolino Martelli

The Portrait of Ugolino Martelli is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, executed in 1536 or 1537. It is housed in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany. The work is signed BRONZO FIORENTINO on the edge of the table top.[1]

Portrait of Ugolino Martelli
Portrait of Ugolino Martelli by Bronzino
Portrait of Ugolino Martelli
ArtistBronzino
Year1536 or 1537
MediumOil on a poplar panel
Dimensions102 cm × 85 cm (40 in × 33 in)
LocationGemäldegalerie, Berlin
OwnerStaatliche Museen zu Berlin
Accession338A

Ugolino Martelli (1519-1592) was a Florentine aristocrat, humanist, and linguist, whose palace can be seen in the background of the picture. A marble David of the family's collection appears in the background. It was attributed at the time to Donatello, while it is now ascribed to Antonio or Bernardo Rossellino and dated between about 1461 to 1479. The earliest reference to the sculpture is in the private records of Luigi d'Ugolino Martelli (Ugolino's grandfather), in an inventory of his possessions begun in 1488. It is now in the National Gallery in Washington D.C.[2] The David was a traditional symbol of the Florentine freedom, and could be an allusion to Martelli adherence to the city's Republican party.[3]

On the scholar's worktable a copy of Homer's Iliad, in Greek, can be seen turned towards the reader. It is open at the beginning of the ninth book, the Embassy to Achilles.[4] A second book, of which only a corner is visible, is inscribed MARO, indicating the Latin poet Publius Vergilius Maro better known as Virgil.[1] Ugolino's left arm is supported by a work by Pietro Bembo, whose sonnets were written in the vernacular.[3] Ugolino lectured on Bembo and had met him by 1539.[4]

Portrait of Ugolino Martelli, oil on panel, 91.4 x 68 cm. National Gallery of Art

Another portrait of Ugolino Martelli is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. It was attributed to Pontormo, and is now believed to be by a closely associated painter.[1]

References
  1. Wildmoser, Rudolf (1989). "Das Bildnis des Ugolino Martelli von Agnolo Bronzino". Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen. 31 (31): 181–214. doi:10.2307/4125857. JSTOR 4125857.
  2. National Gallery of Art. "The David of the Casa Martelli". National Gallery of Art, Washington. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. Schneider, Norbert (2002). The Portrait. Taschen. p. 78. ISBN 9783822819951.
  4. Weniger, Matthias (2012). Old Master Paintings. Munich: Prestel Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 9783791352077.
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