Florentine School, 16th century

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work on a heavy wooden panel is in very good condition. The panel is unreinforced and visibly curved from left to right. The paint layer is stable, and there are no structural issues to the panel despite the curve. The paint layer has yellowed, and the darker colors have become opaque. The inscription across the top seems to be on top of a darker color, both of which are presumably not period. The palette would brighten considerably if the work were cleaned, and more depth in the darker colors would develop. The beard seems to be quite healthy, as does the hair and all of the details in the face. The retouches in the background are quite broad, and no issues should emerge if and when the picture is cleaned.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This commanding portrait is a contemporary version of Cristofano dell'Altissimo's depiction of Ippolito de' Medici (1511-1535), in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence (inv. no. 1890).¹ Ippolito was the illegitmate son of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici and his only male progeny.  When his cousin, Giuliano de' Medici, was elected pope in 1523, Ippolito ruled Florence in his place and was eventually made cardinal in 1529.

Cristofano painted the portrait posthumously, circa 1562-65, some thirty years after Ippolito's death.  The artist used Titian's contemporary portrait of Ippolito, now in the Galleria Palatina, Florence (inv. no. 201, fig. 1), as a guideline for the sitter's face.  Titian had painted Ippolito in Bologna in late 1532 or early 1533, shortly after his return from battle against the Turks and depicted him in Hungarian costume.²  Cristofano, however, chose to represent Ippolito in a bust length format and substituted the Hungarian garments for cardinal's robes.

1. K. Langedijk, The Portraits of the Medici, 15th-18th Centuries, Florence 1983, vol. II, p. 1079-1080, cat. no. 62.1, reproduced.
2.  Ibid., p. 1058, cat. no. 12.