Santi di Tito Sansepolcro 1536 - 1602 Florence

In his biography of Santi di Tito, Baldinucci notes the artist’s special talent for portraiture: “Fu portato dal genio, non meno che dal desiderio del guadagno, a fare ritratti, come quegli che possedendo una istraordinaria sicurezza nel disegno, gli conducea con gran facilità e somigliantissimi dal vivo (He was moved by his artistic ability, as well as a desire for profit, to paint portraits-- and like all those who have exceptional skill in drawing, it leads them with great ease to make striking likenesses taken from life) [F. Baldinucci, Notizie... Florence 1846, reissued 1974, vol. II, p. 540]."   The writer then goes on to list numerous examples in the collections of some of the most prominent families in Florence.  The present panel is typical of the type of portrait which the artist produced, reflecting the continuted influence of his master Bronzino tempered with his own more naturalistic approach.