Much has been written about the identity of the sitter in this portrait by
Pontormo. In 1568 the most famous contemporary recorder of artists' lives, the
painter Giorgio Vasari, noted that Pontormo painted a beautiful work, a portrait
of Francesco Guardi depicted as a soldier during the 1528 siege of Florence.
However, in 1612 the name of Cosimo de'Medici was attached to a description of
the portrait.
In this volume, Elizabeth Cropper argues that the subject of the painting—widely
considered to be Pontormo's masterpiece—is Francesco Guardi. The book discusses
not only the specific determination of the sitter, but the tools and methods used
in general for establishing the people and places portrayed in works of art.
Elizabeth Cropper is professor of the history of art at Johns Hopkins University. Among
her publications are The Idea of Painting: Pietro Testa's Düsseldorf Notebook,
Pietro Testa: 1612-1650 (a catalogue), and Nicolas Poussin: Friendship and the
Love of Painting (with Charles Dempsey).
Series: Getty Museum Studies on Art
Price: $20.00 
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