Eleanora di Toledo
Attributed to Agnolo Bronzino
Eleanora di Toledo
Oil on Panel
Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science
Evansville, Indiana
Tory Schendel Cox
The Virginia G. Schroder Curator of Art
About the Picture
The marriage of Eleonora di Toledo and Cosimo I de’ Medici is perhaps one of the great love stories of the Renaissance. The second daughter of the viceroy from Spain, Cosimo first laid eyes on Eleonora during a trip to Naples. After Cosimo became duke, he asked Eleonora’s father for her hand in marriage. Her father tried to convince Cosimo to take her older sister for a much larger dowry, but Cosimo, remembering Eleonora’s beauty, insisted on the younger daughter. The two were married in 1539, and it is reputed that Cosimo remained faithful to her throughout his marriage, even though it would have been easy for him to take a mistress. Eleonora was Cosimo’s constant companion, and even acted as his regent when he was ill. Because of her role as “first lady,” she is often regarded as the first modern woman.
While this work is a studio copy of Bronzino’s Eleonora di Toledo with Her Son Francesco, it is significant because this portrait was specifically chosen to be the official image of Eleanora. This meant that multiple copies were made and gifted to extended family, nobility, and royalty. The purpose was not only to immortalize her but to demonstrate her wealth and influence.
Background Story
When the picture was first examined by the Curator of Art in 2019, the picture was to be included in the 2020 exhibition, A Celebration of Women: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection. According to the picture’s museum record, the piece was titled Leonora di Toledo by Bronzino. The picture measures 25 x 33 inches and is believed to be in its original frame. Once on display, the Curator of Art sent images of the picture to a colleague, Dr. Chrystine Keener, Assistant Professor of Art History at Ringling College of Art + Design, Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Keener messaged Curator of Art indicating that the picture is not in the likeness of Leonora and asks Curator of Art if she can forward images of the picture to Pontormo and Bronzino world expert, Dr. Elizabeth Pilliod, Associate Professor of Art History at Rutgers-Camden University, Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Pilliod confirms Dr. Keener’s claim and further notes that the picture is not Bronzino. Instead, the picture is an “attribution of” or “School of Bronzino” picture.
Research
To further analyze and understand the picture, the Curator of Art investigates the picture by looking into museum object files, donor files, board minutes, and general archives for more information. The primary goal of the Curator of Art is to determine how the picture’s subject and artist were misattributed. After sifting through a multitude of boxes and files, some letters and notes proved to be of high significance. The information is presented chronologically. Please see the Appendix for copies of all documents referenced by the Curator of Art.
On the picture’s frame: two wax seals are present. One seal is illegible and the other reads Galerie Sedelmeyer Paris.
Portfolio by E.A. Silberman Galleries. Sent to the museum on January 24, 1951: The portfolio offers: 1) a copy of Professor Lionello Venturi’s opinion regarding the picture, 2) a brief biography on Bronzino, 3) a list of publications the picture has been featured in 4) a list of locations that have pictures by Bronzino, and 5) a brief biography. In the opinion piece by Venturi, he notes that “this portrait of Eleanora da Toledo is, in my opinion, a characteristic work by Agnolo Bronzino.” In the Published section, the picture was displayed in the exhibition Exhibition of Ancient Art January 1-31, 1945 at the High Museum in Atlanta Georgia. The picture was on loan from E.A. Silberman Galleries and was catalog number 3.
Accession Record. January 5, 1952. Temporary Receipt Number: 1420. Received from: Mr. Adolph A. Juviler, 441 West End Ave. New York City. Gift. Processes by Florita Eichel, Registrar. Description: Oil Painting, Eleanora da Toledo by Bronzino, 16th century Florentine… formerly loan 20.51. Ca. 1969 title corrected to Leonora di Toledo See 10thanniversary brochure.
Accession Value and Insurance Paper. Object: Eleanora Da Toledo. Artist: Bronzino. Donor: Ad. Juviler N.Y. Value: $26,000. Insurance: $26,000. Paper notes “Appraisal, in booklet with photo…Copy of the opinion of Professor Lionello Venturi- this portrait of leanora of Toledo is, in my opinion, a characteristic work by Bronzino, who painted Eleanor da Toledo several times.”
Newspaper clipping. Title: Value of Bronzino Painting is Reported to be $26,000. Published in 1951 or 1952. Summary: The picture was on loan to the museum since February 1951. Titled Eleanor of Toledo by Bronzino, the picture is gifted to the museum. The then museum director, Siegfried Weng, notes that the picture has been on loan to the museum from an anonymous New York collector. The collector decided to gift the museum the picture on January 5, 1952. Weng notes to the reporter that the well-known art critic and writer Lionello Venturi spoke of the Evansville’s picture and compares it to the one in the Kaiser Frederick Museum, Berlin, and the Uffizi in Florence. Weng quotes Venturi’s comment, “this picture has similarities with both…is less official and decorative…the Uffizi portrait and is… idealized and more developed … that it shows the hands, than… Berlin portrait.” [newspaper clipping damaged and missing words.]
Newspaper clipping. Title Museum Accepts Second 16th Century Masterpiece for Display; ‘Eleanora da Toledo’ Valued at $25,000. Published in 1951 or 1952. Summary: Weng discusses how the museum was gifted Eleanora da Toledo by Bronzino followed by a picture by Titian from an anonymous Chicago collector.
Publication. Museum publishes a brochure in 1969 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the institution’s building on Riverside Drive and for Siegfried Weng’s new title of Director Emeritus. On the third leaf, the picture appears. It is titled Leonora di Toledo by Bronzino.
Publication. The book, Census of Pre-nineteenth Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections,Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1972 by Burton B. Fredericksen and Federico Zeri comes out. Evansville picture appears under Bronzino heading. (p. 36)
Letter. Dr. Karla Langedijk from Duke University, The Department of Art writes to Evansville Museum Director, Glen P. Ives, on November 29, 1973, asking for an image of Eleonora of Toledo by the “Bronzino School” for a catalog she is writing on the portraits of the Medici. She found the Evansville picture in the Census of Pre-nineteenth Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections book. On December 26, 1973, Ives agrees to send the picture of Eleonora of Toledo by the “Bronzino School.”
Letter. On December 8, 1977, Robert Simon from the Department of European Paintings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, writes Curator of Paintings asking for information about the museum’s Eleonora da Toledo attributed to Bronzino for a catalog he is writing about Bronzino. On December 22, 1977, Registrar Charlotte Stone, with Director John Streetman CCd, writes back to Simon and sends him copies of the 10th-anniversary catalog. On January 8, 1978, Simon sends the picture’s provenance to Stone. Simon indicates that the portrait is not Lenora nor a Bronzino but a workshop picture of Eleonora.
Provenance
From the compiled evidence, the provenance of the picture is:
· Italy, 15th century (?).
· Galerie Sedelmeyer, Paris.
· Catholina Lambert Collection, Paterson, New Jersey.
· Sold to J.E. Aldred, New York City, New York, for $825 at the February 21, 1916 auction held at the American Art Association, New York City, New York. The picture was cataloged by Cristofano Allori and was lot number 240:
· Aldred, or a family member, sold the picture to Mrs. Frances Clyne for $190 at the Parke-Bernet auction on June 11, 1941, it was lot 44A and cataloged as “School of Angiolo Bronzino: Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo:”
· Sold to Henri Hammerman for $150 on November 23, 1944, at the Coleman Auction Galleries in New York City, New York.
· E.A. Silberman Galleries, New York City, New York.
· Adolf Juviler, New York City, New York:
· Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, Evansville, Indiana
Conclusion
The remaining major gaps in the provenance are to determine 1) was the picture created in Italy and 2) how did the picture get to Galerie Sedelmeyer, Paris. I am hopeful that the illegible stamp will be deciphered at a later date and offer either an answer to one or both of the gap questions. Regarding the curatorial objective of understanding why the picture’s subject and the artist were misattributed, it seems past curatorial staff has wondered this as well. (See picture below.) While I was able to research the picture more holistically, it cannot be assumed that the records in the Appendix existed or were accessible to past curatorial staff. Therefore, it is imperative to not only assemble these records but to digitize them for public access. Furthermore, the picture’s museum record has been updated to reflect current knowledge and understanding of the historical picture, which states that the picture is Eleanora di Toledo, Attributed to Agnolo Bronzino.
Note all the labels and their title changes.
Appendix
The order of the appendix will correlate to the Resources section. Since the sources for the research came from the museum files, the documents have been digitized and offered below.
Two Wax Stamps on the back of the picture
First Stamp, illegible.
Second Stamp, Galerie Sedelmeyer Paris.
Portfolio by E.A. Silberman Galleries and its subsections.
