Italian artist and poet, known as Il Bronzino, a nickname which may have originated because of his dark complexion. He was an exponent of the Mannerist style and was one of the greatest portrait painters of the Medici court in the mid-16th century. He served as court painter to Cosimo I, duke of Florence, from 1539 until his death.
He was the adopted child and pupil of the Florentine painter, Jacopo da Pontormo who used Di Cosimo’s likeness in his painting, “Joseph in Egypt.” Greatly influenced by his adopted father as well as by the works of Michelangelo and Raphael, Il Bronzino created a style of his own, precisely linear with brilliant colors and complex symbolism. In his polished and elegant paintings like “Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo with Her Son Giovanni,” his technical proficiency was evident; however, his abilities as a religious painter were less successful, as his works were considered to lack real feeling. He painted several well-known allegorical works including “The Allegory of Luxury” and “Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time.” His skill with the nude was well demonstrated with this latter painting, sensually erotic under the pretext of moralizing allegory. His personal portraits are probably his best work. In 1563, he helped found the Accademia del Disegno.
In curious similarity to his own upbringing, he adopted a son, Alessandro Allori, who was one of his own pupils.
He died on 11/23/1572, Florence, Italy. His most celebrated works now hang in the National Gallery in London.
Link to Wikipedia biography