Cosimo de' Medici (1519–1574), Duke of Florence and Grand Duke of Tuscany

Grand-ducal workshops, Florence

ca. 1567–69 · Lapis lazuli · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Lapis lazuli is a notoriously brittle medium for detailed carving, but the highly specialized Florentine grand-ducal workshops overcame many challenges as they fashioned and assembled hardstones. This portrait of Cosimo de’ Medici is more generalized than those on the medals it is based on, no doubt owing to the extra caution that had to be taken with the drilling. The cameo appears in Medici inventories, described as framed in ebony, between 1588 and 1628.

Artist

Grand-ducal workshops, Florence

Date

ca. 1567–69

Medium

Lapis lazuli

Culture

Italian, Florence

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Milton Weil Collection, 1938