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In November 2010 I wrote a blog entry about 16th century fashion in Italy ( Read more... )

I'm in Rome. I've had the best Lazio style pizza you can dig up. The temperature is perfect. And now I'm reading about Bronzino. In other words, life is good.

Excpect many rambling updates... Like this one: two interesting notes about some of Bronzino's portraits:


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I guess none of you wondered.... This list is more for my own sake ( Read more... )

From realm_of_venus: Insanely good closeups of Bronzinos portrait of Eleonora di Toledo and Giovanni:

http://www.haltadefinizione.com/magnifier.jsp?idopera=13&lingua=en

Trust me when I say insanely good. You can see every brush stroke, you can see the small golden ( Read more... )

Sometimes in the 1580s an anonymous artist made a portrait series of several of the Medici family members. I particularly liked the ones of the children of Cosimo I and Eleonora di Toledo. Most, or all, are based on existing portraits by Bronzino, Allori and other Florentine artists. Some are successfull (I love the Isabella one), others a bit more ( Read more... )

ISABELLA DI COSIMO DE' MEDICI (1542 - 1576)Isabella was the second daughter of Cosimo I and Eleonora di Toledo. She was born right after her elder halfsister Bianca (Bia) died, and is said to have been of great comfort to her father. She was the owner of Poggio Imperiale, one of the Medici villas in Tuscany, and seems to have had more freedom than ( Read more... )

MONEYChecked my account today, only to find that around $180 had been withdrawn from my account, and the balance was suddenly negative. I couldn't for my life understand what that amount was, and when I checked it they said that I had four individual cards registered on the same account, and each cost me around $45 a year ( Read more... )

Sumptuary laws under Cosimo I de' Medici (1519-1574)

"The presiding goldsmith at the time of Cellini's arrival was Bernardo Baldini, who was commissioned in 1544 to execute a necklace for the Duchess made from a number of her rings, a ring with a diamond made in the Flemish manner, and a gold fan studded with diamonds and rubies. In practice, ( Read more... )

OK, this portrait...


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