Antonio d'Ubertino Verdi, called Bachiacca (Florence 1499-1572)

In his recent catalogue raisonné, Robert La France explains that works traditionally attributed to the artist known as Bachiacca are, in reality, painted by numerous hands within the same family (Bachiacca, Artist of the Medici Court, Florence, 2008). The first and most accomplished artist to use the nickname 'Bachiacca' was Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi, followed by his brothers, Bartolomeo and Antonio, and their numerous children. Antonio, the youngest of the three siblings, followed his elder brothers' footsteps and joined the painters' guild in 1532. By 1542, he was working in the Medici court of Cosimo I, as an embroiderer and designer of luxurious objects for the duchess; his work was praised by both Benedetto Varchi and Giorgio Vasari. Antonio often described himself, however, as a painter, and it was certainly not uncommon for a 16th century artist to work in several different media.


This portrait is strikingly similar to the Magdalene by Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, in particular the leopard-skin fur over the red dress, the hair-style and the hair jewelry. In comparing them, Robert La France notes that the surface detail of this picture is slightly less refined than the Pitti Magdalene and that it is therefore more likely to have been executed by Francesco's brother, Antonio, who closely imitated his work.

We are grateful to Robert La France for proposing the attribution to Antonio, on the basis of images, and for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.