Portrait of Grand Duchess Bianca Capello de Medici with Her Son

Portrait of Grand Duchess Bianca Capello de Medici with Her Son, dated 1597 and now at the Dallas Museum of Art, depicts one of the most controversial figures in late Medici history. Bianca Capello (1548–1587), a Venetian noblewoman who became the mistress and eventually second wife of Francesco I de' Medici, was the subject of intense scandal and political suspicion throughout her time at the Florentine court. Her inclusion of a son in this portrait — possibly a matter of dynastic significance, asserting lineage — adds a political dimension to what might otherwise be a conventional court image. Allori, who served the Medici court across the reigns of several Grand Dukes, was well positioned to produce official portraiture for even its most contested members. The Dallas Museum's holding of this work attests to the broad transatlantic dispersal of Florentine Mannerist portraits.

Oil on canvas with the polished court portraiture finish that Allori maintained consistently. The mother-and-child composition modifies the standard female portrait by introducing the dynastic element of the heir, requiring adjustment of the conventional single-figure format.