Portrait of a Lady, probably Camilla Martelli de’Medici

Portrait of a Lady, probably Camilla Martelli de' Medici, dated around 1570 and at the Saint Louis Art Museum, depicts a woman whose identification with Camilla Martelli remains traditional but uncertain. Camilla Martelli (c. 1545–1590) was the second wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, a marriage kept secret for years and widely considered morganatic, which placed her in an anomalous position within the court hierarchy. A portrait of Camilla by Allori would document her official presence within the Medici visual record despite her irregular status. Whether or not the identification holds, the painting exemplifies Allori's high mature standard in female portraiture: the precise costume rendering, refined flesh treatment, and the cool Mannerist dignity that his female sitters share across identities. The panel support indicates the work's high quality and intimate or semi-private destination.

Oil on panel with Allori's characteristic female portrait technique: smooth skin, precise jewellery rendering, and the cool contained expression that resists easy emotional categorization. The costume — its textiles and ornaments — carries the social argument that the face withholds.