Portrait of Francesco Sassetti and his son Teodoro, by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Speranza



This painting has long been considered a portrait of Francesco Sassetti and his son Teodoro, as stated in the Latin inscription at the top:

FRANCISCVS SAXETTVS THEODORVSQUE FILIVS

Recently, however, technical examination of the inscription indicates that it is NOT of the same period as the painting.

The lettering, painted on the inside of the window recess at the top, transforms the embrasure to a flat band, completely nullifying the perspective.

It could still, of course, record some old, reable tradition about the people represented: allegedly Francesco Sassetti and his son Teodoro.

Francesco Sassetti, if you care to know, was born in Firenze in 1421 and died there in 1490 -- so this is an OLD painting.

After entering the service of Cosimo de' Medici, Francesco Sassetti was sent as clerk or employee to the branch of the Medici bank at Avignon, wheree he soon rose to the rank of junior partner and branch manager.

Francesco Sassetti returned to Firenze in 1458, and he became the close adviser in business affairs of Cosimo's son, Piero the Gouty, then the head of the Medici family and eventually of Lorenzo il Magnifico.

Among Francesco Sassetti's friends were the humanist Angelo Poliziano, the poet Luigi Pulci, and the pamphleteer Matteo Franco.

The burial chapel of Francesco Sassetti is in the Church of Santa Trinità, and is decorated with frescoes and an alterpiece by Ghirlandaio.

It is quite likely that Ghirlandaio painted a series of portraits for Francesco Sassetti.

Unfortunately, Francesco Sassetti had TWO DIFFERENT SONS: both unoriginally named "Teodoro".

The first Teodoro was born in 1460 and died in 1479.

The second Teodoro was born in the year of his brother's death, and lived on until 1546.

Since the boy represented in this double portrait is obviously about six years old, it becomes a question whether the painting was executed by Ghirlandaio about 1466, when Francesco was forty-five and his first son, "Teodoro", six -- OR whether the man represented could be about sixty-four years old, when the SECOND "Teodoro" was six, in 1485.

Most likely, the portrait represents Sassetti with is SECOND son Teodoro.

The portrait is part of the Jules S. Bache Collection.