Mario Balassi

MARIO BALASSI (Florence, 1604-1667).
"Allegorical portrait of a woman of the Medici family".
Oil on panel.
Attached certificate of authenticity issued by Alessandro Nesi, 20/02/2005.
It presents Repainting.
Measurements: 61 x 50 cm; 81 x 70 cm (frame).

This exquisite female effigy, realized by Mario Balassi, disciple of Jacopo Ligozzi, is fully inscribed in the Florentine tradition of allegorical and courtly portrait of the first half of the XVII century, perpetuating the celebrated iconography linked to the powerful Medici family.

The figure is cut out against a rich damask curtain background, which enhances the delicate modeling of the face and the meticulous representation of the hair, gathered in a finely woven net whose golden reflections stand out against the warm palette of browns and ochers. The care in the tactile quality of the flesh tones, the virtuosity in the meticulous description of the jewels (pearl necklace, cameos, rings with rubies...), from which he draws just sparkles, as well as the precision in the heraldic adornments, confirm the hand of a refined painter versed in the symbolic rhetoric of the aristocratic portrait.

Above the headdress is the Medici coat of arms, with its characteristic five red spheres crowned by golden lilies of France, referring to the historical link between the House of Medici and the French crown. The quatrefoil includes a flaming salamander, personal emblem of Francis I of France, a detail that reveals the double courtly and celebratory dimension of this painting. Such an insignia invites us to relate the model to the orbit of the monarch or his son Henry II, whose effigy seems to be guessed in the medallion that the lady delicately holds: a profile portrait of a man with a sharp face, feathered hat and dark goatee, iconography close to that of the sovereign who, by marrying Catherine de Medici (1519-1589), strengthened the ties between Florence and the French crown.

More than a direct portrait, the work was conceived as a commemorative allegory, probably linked to the memory of Catherine, whose figure is idealized and transfigured under symbolic and dynastic keys. The meticulous workmanship, the warm and toasted chromatism and the decorative sumptuousness find immediate parallels with the famous "Portrait of Virginia de Medici", traditionally attributed to Ligozzi (Sotheby's, New York, 02/02/2018, lot 317), today re-attributed to Mario Balassi thanks to recent studies, amply endorsed, which evidence technical and stylistic affinities, especially in the texture of fabrics, the arrangement of the bust and the melancholic introspection of the model. No less suggestive are the analogies with the "Queen of Armenia", another panel attributed to Balassi, a work with which it shares the same imprint of idealized portrait, conceived less as a physiognomic document than as an embodiment of dynastic virtues and emblems of courtly magnificence.

Balassi demonstrates his virtuosity in the meticulous representation of textures. He delights in the contrast between the translucent softness of the lace, the cool sheen of the pearls and gems, and the richness of the brocade and embroidery of the gown. Every detail, from the intricate filigree of the crown to the tiny portraits or scenes embedded in the jewels on her shoulder, is executed with a precision that not only strives for realism, but also underscores the status and immense wealth of the lady and, by extension, the Medici family.

The woman's face denotes psychological depth. Balassi endows her with a direct, almost defiant expression. Her large eyes fix the viewer with an intensity that is both seductive and authoritative. It is the gaze of a woman conscious of her lineage. To the left of the lady, a window opens onto a nocturnal landscape dominated by a fortress or walled city. This element is a clear allusion to the territorial dominions and military power of the Medici, suggesting that the lady's beauty and wealth are backed by an impregnable power.

A work of profound symbolic resonance, the present portrait illustrates the survival of the great Florentine tradition, embodying the transition between the analytical rigor of late Mannerism and the chromatic sensuality of early Tuscan Baroque, under the refined and sensitive hand of Mario Balassi.

Mario Balassi was an Italian painter, active during the Baroque period. He trained as an artist in the workshop of Jacopo Ligozzi, and later with Matteo Rosselli and Domenico Passignano, with whom he traveled to Rome. There he resided for some time, producing a Noli me tangere for the Barberini and a copy (more accurately, a free version) of Raphael's Transfiguration for the church of Santa Maria della Concezione of the Capuchin Fathers. Shortly thereafter he joined the entourage of Ottavio Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, whom he accompanied to Venice and then to Vienna. At the imperial court he portrayed Emperor Ferdinand III and painted a Madonna and Child. In 1637 he returned to Florence, where he carried out several commissions for religious institutions, including the Basilica of San Lorenzo. He obtained the protection of Cardinal Carlos de Medicis, thanks to whom he was able to portray the grand duke Fernando II de Medici and his wife Vittoria della Rovere. Balassi produced numerous small-format works on religious themes and for private devotion, which can be admired in various museums and private collections around the world. He carried out several commissions for the authorities of Prato, where he died while completing a Martyrdom of St. Stephen, which was completed by his pupil Carlo Dolci.