(Florence 1503–1577)
Portrait of a young man, half-length, holding gloves and a sword,
oil on panel, 98.5 x 64.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Virginia, circa 1960;
art market, USA;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Heidi Hornik for confirming the attribution after examining the present painting in the original and for her help in cataloguing this lot.

Michele Tosini, also known as Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, was the head of the Ghirlandaio workshop in Florence from 1560–1577 (see H. J. Hornik, Michele Tosini and the Ghirlandaio Workshop in Cinquecento Florence, Eastbourne/Portland 2009). Giorgio Vasari, his good friend and Mannerist colleague, names him ‘Michele di Ridolfo’ in the second, 1568-edition of the Vite to confirm Michele’s association with the successful Ghirlandaio workshop. Vasari states that Michele produced art ‘with spirit and without effort’ and both of these characteristics are evident in this portrait and reflect the mature style of the master.

The present portrait is an elegant example of Florentine painting from the late 1560s by Michele Tosini while he was the capo of the Ghirlandaio workshop. The attribution of Tosini portraits from this period are often confused with Francesco Salviati (1510–1563), who significantly influenced Michele (see Portrait of a Florentine Nobleman, Saint Louis Art Museum, inv. no. 415:1943). Another portrait of a nobleman by Tosini, conserved in the North Carolina Museum of Art (inv. no. G.55.10.1, see fig. 1) proves an authoritative and viable comparison in connoisseurship.

The Ghirlandaio workshop was known for its reliability, productive nature and talented painters, first under Domenico (1448–1494) and then his son Ridolfo (1483–1561). Michele Tosini was the adopted son of Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio and continued the workshop production after Ridolfo’s death in 1561. Michele is influenced by Andrea del Sarto (1486–1530) and Franceso Salviati in the 1530s and 1540s, respectively, in Florence. Prior to entering the Ghirlandaio workshop, Michele was in the High Renaissance workshop of Lorenzo di Credi (1459–1537). Michele steadily brings the new ‘Mannerist’ style into the Ghirlandaio workshop while still working under Ridolfo’s tutelage in the 1540s and 1550s (see Madonnna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, Saints and Bishop Buonafede, Museo di San Salvi, Florence). Ridolfo’s conservative High Renaissance style gives way to La Maniera, or Mannerism (Late Renaissance), through the innovation of Michele Tosini. Michele’s son, Baccio (1534–1582), continued this innovation and adaptation of the contemporary style, as well as the fine reputation of the Ghirlandaio workshop after Michele’s death in 1577 (see H. J. Hornik, The Testament of Michele Tosini, in: Paragone, vol. 46, no. 543–545, 1995, pp. 156–67).

In past scholarship, Tosini’s mature work (1560–1577) has been commended for its ability to imitate the styles of Vasari and Michelangelo instead of being recognised as progressive. Tosini is well documented as a well-connected businessman and excellent organiser. Heidi Hornik’s recent archival studies have documented that Tosini was a leading force in major Florentine projects and commissions (private and public), confraternity activities, as well as (previously known) in the formation and early leadership of the Accademia del Disegno. Tosini and the Ghirlandaio workshop painted the ceiling of the Sala Grande in the Palazzo Ducale between 1563–1565 for Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, participated in the funeral decorations for Michelangelo in 1564, and prepared apparati for the marriage of Francesco I de’ Medici and Giovanna of Austria in 1565 (for specific information on the role Tosini and the Ghirlandaio workshop played in these public and private projects, see H. J. Hornik, Michele Tosini and the Ghirlandaio Workshop, pp. 34–53). The Ghirlandaio workshop also received commissions from the Vallombrosan Benedictines both in Florence at Santa Trinità and in the Badia di Passignano. Recently discovered documents also prove that Michele Tosini held official leadership positions in three of the major confraternities of sixteenth-century Florence – the Compagnia di Santa Maria della Croce al Tempio (Neri), Santa Maria del Croce (Tempio), and Gesù Pellegrino (see H. J. Hornik, Michele Tosini and the Ghirlandaio Workshop, pp. 19–53).

The present portrait was painted during this mid-century period when Michele Tosini was at his most influential, most sought after for commissions, and was meeting regularly with members of the major families of the city such as the Strozzi and the Medici, as well as the powerful religious orders, for instance the Vallombrosans and Dominicans.

The green background is quite typical of the period and compliments the strong ginger coloring of the sitter’s beard and hair. The three-quarter view of the head allows the brown eyes to directly engage the viewer. The positioning of the eyes and the delicacy with which they are painted further reveal Tosini’s ability in disegno. The sitter, perhaps in his thirties, wears a black, rounded cap with his right ear visible. His red hair is slightly disheveled beneath the cap and continues down the face connecting with the beard and moustache. Tosini uses chiaroscuro to model the left side of the sitter’s face. The white lace of the neckline is highlighted and frames the head delicately while moving the viewer’s eye to the black garments.

The sitter wears two layers of textured, black garments. The external cloak or mantle is a thick heavy cloth that covers the shoulders and arms draping the figure entirely with left edge crossing over the left shoulder much like a toga. The mantle, although visibly substantial, flows well and the shape of the shoulders and elbows can be understood beneath its luxurious folds while revealing the sleeves of his internal layer of clothing. The cloak has a stitched edging that clearly outlines the garment and gives it an elegant, Mannerist line. That edging can be traced around the right and left necklines, over the left shoulder, down the center of the composition across the sitter’s middle section (revealing the textured internal garment) and back across the left shoulder and down the sitter’s left side. Sections of the cloak seem to also have a silk lining that further adds to the luxury and status of this sitter.

The internal garment is best seen in situ and photographs are insufficient to observe the textured squares of silk around the neck, under the external cloak in the center of the canvas, and on the left sleeve. Although the sitter’s right arm is mostly covered by the cloak, much of the textured silk undergarment of his left sleeve is revealed beneath the draped exterior cloak. The left elbow is outlined by the cloak, but the sleeve of left arm and wrist are twisted in a Mannerist pose. There is a sword held by the left, affected hand in an artificial manner. The white lace is visible outlining the edge of the sleeves at the wrists of both arms. Golden gloves, echoing the same color as the handle of the sword are beautifully rendered in the nobleman’s right hand. Although there was damage in the lower right corner of the picture, it does not deter from the affected hand position that is very much characteristic of La maniera. The hands, like the face, show the aptitude of Tosini in drawing, modulation, and the application of paint. His techniques and skills are quite evident in this painting.

The Portrait of a Florentine Nobleman in the North Carolina Museum of Art, along with several other securely attributed Tosini portraits, offers an informative comparison (see also sale, Sotheby’s, London, 7 July 2021, lot 28, as Michele Tosini, Portrait of a man, seated, with his dog). Michele Tosini had established a distinguished facial type found in multiple figures in the dated (1561) and documented Strozzi Chapel fresco cycle outside of Florence in Paolini, San Casciano (see H. J. Hornik, The Strozzi Chapel by Michele Tosini: A Visual Interpretation of Redemptive Epiphany, in: Artibus et Historiae, vol. 46, 2002, pp. 97–118). Although the North Carolina portrait is on panel, both paintings utilise the same green background, three-quarter profile view of the head with a direct glance at the viewer, length of the sitter in the composition, and several textured layers of stylish black drapery indicative of the fashion of the day.

The present portrait is an important addition to the oeuvre of Michele Tosini, called Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, who lived well and worked successfully in Late Renaissance Florence. The portrait, dated to 1565–1570, can be placed in the most productive and mature phase of Tosini’s career as he led the prestigious Ghirlandaio workshop through the style of the day – La Maniera.