Family portraits from the lost Gaddi gallery

Abstract

Abstract This article presents ‘prolegomena’ to a deeper study of picture collecting and portraiture in Florence through the lens of Niccolò Gaddi’s commissions between 1560 and 1591. Originating in the lost gallery in Casa dell’Orto, fifteen portraits are isolated here, for the first time, as having formed the nucleus of the collection that belonged to Niccolò. Partly comprising hitherto unpublished paintings, they allow for an analysis of provenances and the subjects’ dynastic history that sheds light on the commissions of Niccolò and his family members. This represents a first step in the reconstruction of one of the most important private collections in Florence associated with the court of Francesco I and Ferdinando I de’ Medici. Moreover, the micro-case of Gaddi’s ‘quadreria familiare’ may lead to a better understanding of portrait painting in the circle of the ‘Pittori dello Studiolo’, greatly beloved by this ‘gentilhuomo privato con ambizioni da qualsivoglia principe’.