''Portrait of Camilla Gonzaga and Her Three Sons'' is a painting attributed to the Italian Mannerist artist Parmigianino and his workshop, executed around 1535–1537 and housed in the

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It forms a pair with another painting in the Prado, the ''

Portrait of Pier Maria Rossi di San Secondo ''Portrait of Pier Maria Rossi di San Secondo'' is a painting by the Italian Mannerist artist Parmigianino, executed around 1535–1539 and housed in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. The subject was Count of San Secondo, and the painting fo ...

'', Camilla's husband, a painting which is unanimously assigned to Parmigianino.

History

It is mentioned in a 1686 inventory of the collections of the

Royal Alcazar of Madrid Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

, as the ''wife of the count of San Sigundo''. The subject has been identified with

Camilla Gonzaga Camilla may refer to: People * Camilla (given name), including a list of people with the name ** Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), wife of King Charles III Places * Camilla, Georgia, a city in the United States * Camilla Castle, an alternati ...

, wife of imperial general

Pier Maria III de' Rossi Pier Maria III de' Rossi (1504 – 15 August 1547) was an Italian general and nobleman, the second marquess and seventh count of San Secondo. Biography Born at San Secondo Parmense, he was a member of the local Rossi noble family, the son o ...

basing on this note, and by another from 1630 by one of his descendants about the existence of a portrait of him by Parmigianino. The painting arrived in Spain in 1664, after King

Philip IV Philip IV may refer to: * Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC) * Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy * Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) * Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602) * Philip IV of Spain ...

had supported to the Rossi family in a dispute with the Farnese of Parma about some territories. It has been dated from around 1539–1540, but the attribution to Parmigianino is controversial, the author having been identified also as an artist from

Bronzino Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( it, Il Bronzino ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or reddis ...

's workshop. It is possible that Parmigianino, who died in 1540, had not been able to finish the portrait, which was completed by another artist, perhaps basing on his sketch.

Description

The countess is portrayed on a black background, wearing a precious scarlet dress, a frilled mousseline on the chest, and rich set of jewels. She looks to the right, ideally towards the portrait of her husband. The countess is surrounded by her three sons, Troilo, Federico and Ippolito. It is the first case in Italian art in which this iconography was used. The three sons appear to be from different hands, and were perhaps added in different moments.

References

Sources

External links

Page at the museum's website
{{Museo del Prado Gonzaga Gonzaga, Camilla 1530s paintings Paintings in the Museo del Prado by Italian artists Paintings of children

History

Description

See also

References

Sources

External links