File:Giovanni Maria Butteri - So-called portrait of Virginia de’ Medici.png

"The woman in this painting, whose identity is under dispute, has been compared to a group of at least four portraits depicting the same woman (see K. Langedijk, The Portraits of the Medici, I, Florence, 1981, pp. 709-16, no. 36 [Eleonora] with 36,1, Baltimore, Walters Art Museum, inv. no. 37.1112) as the basis for comparison. Subsequently, Langedijk found several other close matches (see first letter, K. Langedijk, The Portraits of the Medici, III, Florence, 1987, no. 36, 1 a-c; Florence, Poggio a Caiano, no. 22; Private Collection Nice, France; Private Collection, Paris, France). Langedijk observed a strong similarity between the women in this group of paintings and the Sacra conversazione with Members of the Medici family as Saints (see first letter, K. Landedijk, I, Florence, 1981, p. 716). As it did not fit with her goal of identifying the various individuals, she rejected the connection. To these one can add a portrait of the same woman in a longer format, which is identical to the sitter in the present painting, except for details of the fabric of her dress, the inclusion of her hand, and the presence of a magnificent necklace. The picture, which was recorded on the market in 1995 in the database of the Fondazione Zeri, no. 35477, was subsequently sold at Sotheby’s, London, Old Master Paintings, July 5, 2007, as lot 182. It is also on panel and measures 66.5 X 51.5 cm.

The sitter in these images can be identified as the one from Florence, and the picture must date to the 1580s based on the costume and hairstyle (see R. Orsi Landini and B. Miccoli, Moda a Firenze 1540-1580, Florence, 2005, p.139, here the painting formerly from Poggio a Caiano (now transferred to the Galleria Palatina) is illustrated as fig. 70, attributed to the workshop of Allori, the painting is identified as Virginia de’ Medici and dated 1585-90 based on a meticulous analysis of costume, hairstyle and jewellery).

Karla Langedijk believed the sitter to be Eleonora or Dianora (1553–1576), the niece of Eleonora di Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici. Unfortunately this identification is erroneous because Dianora died too early for the style of costume and hairstyle worn by the sitter. The compiler of the entry for the sale of the longer format painting believed the sitter to be Camilla Martelli de’ Medici (1545-1590), the second wife of Cosimo I. The key for that assertion was the heavily jewelled necklace worn by the sitter, which has been identified via archival descriptions with one given by Cosimo I to his spouse Camilla (M. Sframeli, I gioiellli dei Medici dal vero e in ritratto, Florence, 2003, pp. 72-5, cat. no. 14). The necklace appears in the portrait of Camilla Martelli, attributed to Jacopo Ligozzi. A close reading of the documents and the images proves that the necklace in the portrait sold at Sotheby’s in 2007 is the same piece. Hence the sitter in that panel (and by extension, the present panel) must be Camilla’s daughter, Virginia. Camilla had been the secret lover of Cosimo and after having given birth to his daughter Virginia in 1568, she became his legitimate spouse. She was never accepted by the rest of the Medici family and at the death of Cosimo I in 1574, she was banished to a nunnery, only permitted to emerge twice. Once was on the occasion of the marriage of her daughter Virgina (1568–1615) to Cesare d’Este of Modena in 1586. It is significant for the present argument that Camilla gave her marvellous necklace to her daughter when she wed. Given the nearly identical features of the sitters in the painting sold at Sotheby’s in 2007 and the present painting, there is no doubt that they are the same sitter. Additionally, because the costume and hairstyle can be dated to the 1580s, the sitter cannot be Camilla, but must be Virginia, who, on the eve of her nuptials wears the stunning necklace given to her mother by her father.

Virginia departed Florence in 1586, the same year that she was married. The group of bust- and half-length portraits described here, of which the present panel is one, were executed before Virginia left Florence. The present image, and its near mate sold in 2007, were likely done immediately before Virginia’s wedding, as they emphasise her noble status through the gold and silver decorations in her garment and jewels, including the necklace of her mother.

We are extremely grateful to Elizabeth Pilliod for cataloguing the present lot.

The present painting may also be compared to a portrait by Alessandro Allori of Dianora de Tolede, oil on copper, in the Alana Collection, Delaware." Dorotheum