We present this valuable painting, one of the rare portraits of Dante Alighieri (Florence 1265 – Ravenna 1321) dating back to the height of the Florentine sixteenth century and of excellent quality, to be included in the series of posthumous portraits that the major Renaissance artists dedicated to the Supreme Poet, attesting to his acclaimed and immortal fame.

Among the earliest representations of Dante, we can mention Giotto's fresco of Paradise from 1332-1337 (Cappella del Podestà, Palazzo Bargello, Florence), the portrait of Dante with the Divine Comedy in Domenico di Michelino's fresco from 1465 (Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence), and Sandro Botticelli's portrait of the poet in profile from around 1495 (private collection), now one of the most famous and widespread depictions of the poet.

Returning to our work, we can fully include it in the traditional iconography of his profile, which has contributed to his recognisability to this day: the poet is immortalised with his characteristic red cloak and cap, usually worn by Florentine diplomats, his elongated, angular face with a hooked nose and a laurel wreath, the so-called “poets” crown'.

From a stylistic point of view, in particular, we are inclined to attribute it to an artist active in Florence around 1550, trained or active in the prolific workshop of Cristofano di Papi dell'Altissimo (1530-1605), a pupil of Bronzino and then Pontormo, from whom he inherited a passion for portraiture and stylistic approach.

The painter worked for the Medici family and, in particular, created a collection of about 500 portraits of illustrious men for Cosimo I, known as the “Serie gioviana” (Uffizi Gallery, now in the upper part of the Corridoio di levante), which, among others, also included that of our poet.

His fame as a portraitist grew to such an extent that his workshop often produced versions of the same subject, with countless variations.

In our beautiful work, for example, Dante is depicted in half-length, with his face and gaze turned to the left, his expression serious but intense, and his facial features evoking at first glance the portraiture of early Florentine Mannerism.

We know of several replicas/copies, in terms of size and composition, among the comparable versions from the early 16th century are:

- Musée Condé, Chantilly, Portrait of Dante, Florentine School, 16th century, attributed to Bachiacca

- Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Portrait of Dante, Florentine School, 16th century, previously attributed to Perugino: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/foto/120000/85200/84831_gw.jpg

- Civic Museums of Como, Palazzo Volpi, Portrait of Dante, Florentine School, 16th century: https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/Lombardia/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1m050-00002_R03

- Van Diemen-Lilienfeld Galleries, New York: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/38213/Anonimo%20fiorentino%20sec.%20XVI%2C%20Ri...

- Yale University Art Gallery New Haven (Connecticut, United States of America): https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/348

Although rather rare, we can find some similar works in international auctions:

- Dorotheum, Vienna (24 April 2018, lot 14): https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/5137391/

- Dorotheum, Vienna (20 April 2019, lot 317): https://www.dorotheum.com/de/l/6154239/

- Sotheby's, New York (30 January 2019): https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/master-paintings-evening-n10007/lot.1.html