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拍品专文
This enchanting portrait of a young girl, distinguished by its fluid handling and the delicate rendering of the sitter’s facial features, is a characteristic example of Michele Tosini’s mature portraiture. Executed circa 1550, it relates closely to Tosini’s Portrait of a Lady in the Art Institute of Chicago (inv. no. 1937.459); indeed, the sitter’s dress is nearly identical to that found in the Chicago panel.
Sprigs of jasmine woven into the girl’s hair symbolize purity and innocence, while the red carnation beside her (frequently associated with betrothal) suggests that the portrait may have been commissioned to mark a marriage arrangement. Such commissions were a common practice among noble families to secure alliances and dowries.
Tosini initially trained with Lorenzo di Credi and Antonio del Ceraiuolo before entering the workshop of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio around 1525. His collaboration with Ridolfo was so close that he became known as ‘Michele di Ridolfo’. By the middle of the century, Tosini had established himself as a leading figure in Florentine painting, later assisting Giorgio Vasari in the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio in 1557. While rooted in the Ghirlandaio tradition, Tosini’s mature style also reveals the distinct influence of Francesco Salviati—an affinity so pronounced that the present work was, at one time, attributed to Salviati (L. Mortari, loc. cit.).
We are grateful to Carlo Falciani for endorsing the attribution on the basis of digital images (written communication; 7 November 2025).
Sprigs of jasmine woven into the girl’s hair symbolize purity and innocence, while the red carnation beside her (frequently associated with betrothal) suggests that the portrait may have been commissioned to mark a marriage arrangement. Such commissions were a common practice among noble families to secure alliances and dowries.
Tosini initially trained with Lorenzo di Credi and Antonio del Ceraiuolo before entering the workshop of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio around 1525. His collaboration with Ridolfo was so close that he became known as ‘Michele di Ridolfo’. By the middle of the century, Tosini had established himself as a leading figure in Florentine painting, later assisting Giorgio Vasari in the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio in 1557. While rooted in the Ghirlandaio tradition, Tosini’s mature style also reveals the distinct influence of Francesco Salviati—an affinity so pronounced that the present work was, at one time, attributed to Salviati (L. Mortari, loc. cit.).
We are grateful to Carlo Falciani for endorsing the attribution on the basis of digital images (written communication; 7 November 2025).