1 - Alessandro Allori, 1535 Florence–1607 Florence, workshop of Portrait of a Noblewoman with a Red Carnation in a Gilded Frame, Width 42 x 57 cm, oil on panel https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HQklKouUHsEQu1v5oD7HpeKIChk0AzYh Alessandro Allori, nicknamed “Bronzino” after his master and adoptive father Agnolo (with whom he is often confused), was one of the most celebrated artists in Florence during the sixteenth century. Trained in the workshop of Agnolo di Cosimo, where he perfected his drawing skills and studied human anatomy, Allori completed his apprenticeship in Rome, where he was strongly influenced by the style of the great masters of Mannerism. After returning to Florence, the artist was appointed official painter to the Medici court and, in order to meet the ever-increasing number of commissions, he opened his own workshop. In fact, the work presented here likely belongs to the circle of Alessandro Allori’s students: a young woman, portrayed in a three-quarter view, gazes toward the viewer. Her fair complexion, rich gown, and the precious pearl jewelry adorning her head indicate that she is a noblewoman belonging to the Florentine aristocracy, although, unfortunately, her identity is unknown. The figure’s pose and the attention paid both to the meticulous rendering of details and to the naturalistic depiction of the subject are elements that highlight how this portrait bears close similarities to works of the same subject created by Allori in the early 1570s, thus making it plausible that this painting was executed within the great master’s workshop by one of his close collaborators.