Agnolo Bronzino

Eleonora of Toledo and Her Son

c. 1545/1550

I have always loved Eleonora of Toledo and Her Son (Bronzino and Workshop) because she epitomizes a strong female image at a time when women were routinely kept backstage. She wears her jewels and that amazing dress effortlessly, quietly projecting her status. She keeps her son close at her side, yet another power statement of her time. And if you look very closely, you can see a bit of grime under her fingernails, which completely humanizes her for me. I remember walking through the National Gallery one afternoon and literally bumping into another portrait of Eleonora. She had aged a few years, but she was still my friend from the DIA!