Portrait of a Baby Boy

Description Bronzino served for several years as court painter to Cosimo I de' Medici (1519-1574), the wealthy and powerful grand duke of Tuscany. The artist painted portraits of many members of the Medici family, and this picture may represent Duke Cosimo's and Eleonora da Toledo's son Garcia, born in 1547, or another son, Ferdinando, born in 1549. Wrapped in swaddling clothes, the baby recalls representations of the infant Jesus, revealing the pious intentions of the child's parents. Importance was given to the portrayal of children during the 16th century because of the high mortality rate. This portrait shows Bronzino's elegant and relief-like style. For more information on this painting, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 212, p. 328.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
5/04/1942	Treatment	cleaned; coated; inpainted; varnish removed or reduced
5/14/1974	Treatment	coated; inpainted; loss compensation; stabilized; varnish removed or reduced; x-ray
11/01/2002	Treatment	coated; examined for exhibition; surface cleaned
10/31/2007	Examination	examined for exhibition
10/20/2008	Examination	examined for exhibition; examined for loan

Exhibitions

• Art and Love in Renaissance Italy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. 2008-2009.

Provenance Bernard Berenson, Settignano, Florence; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1909-1922; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1909-1922