Head of Cosimo I

The head belongs to a series of portraits destined to the Chapel. According to the architectural covering, they originally were meant to be made with polychrome stones; but actually, since 1630 they started to be made with gilded bronze. This incomplete head is mentioned in 1608 as one of the artworks present in Bernardo Buontalenti’s house. The artist sculpted only the face in red marble, while beard and hair are modelled with plaster, probably destined to be replaced in future by dark marble.