The Gift

In the summer of 1545, Bronzino's "Lamentation over the Dead Christ" left the calm of a Florentine chapel for the company of men who think "only of the war without having a hair that thinks about peace" (Machiavelli). This painting, too bold and disturbing, is the object of a grandiose diplomatic gift between powerful people of 16th century Europe. Is this gift a sacrifice or a relief? This episode in the life of a masterpiece of Mannerism sheds light on the function of art in the service of power.