On 9 October the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome presented the first major monographic exhibition devoted to Jacopo da Pontormo, known as Pontormo (Pontorme, Empoli, 1494 – Florence, 1557), ever to be organised outside Florence. A protagonist of that great artistic moment in the Florentine Cinquecento which, with the Renaissance in full flux, marked the beginning of Mannerism, Pontormo was an original and fervent innovator. His work has inspired major artists of the Twentieth Century, from Pier Paolo Pasolini to Bill Viola. Sought after by collectors from all over the world, Jacopo’s works are also enormously popular with the public at large. The power of his restless, resplendent painting continues to speak to us and to engage with us today, undimmed by time.

This exhibition – presented by Ales – Scuderie del Quirinale in partnership with the Gallerie degli Uffizi, produced with the Electa publishers and curated by Cristina Acidini together with some of the most prominent experts on the Florentine Cinquecento such as Elena Capretti, Philippe Costamagna, Bruce Edelstein and Carlo Falciani – brings together the artist’s major masterpieces on a scale not seen since the exhibition Mostra del Pontormo e del primo manierismo fiorentino, held in 1956 at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence to commemorate the fourth centenary of Pontormo’s death. The Rome exhibition follows a chronological narrative that focuses on the most salient moments in the artist’s life and work, from his early steps in republican Florence to the large painting cycles commissioned under the patronage of the Medici dynasty and by church authorities. There are sections exploring in detail his graphic production, portraiture and personal writings. In particular, a remarkable series of works on paper testifies to Pontormo’s supreme draughtsmanship, a skill that had reached an extraordinary level of refinement in Florence at that time.

A number of exceptional loans from museums and collections from across the world form the core of the exhibition (alongside the Gallerie degli Uffizi, the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Musei del Bargello in Florence, there are the Galleria Borghese and the Istituto centrale per la Grafica in Rome, as well as the Louvre in Paris, the National Gallery and the British Museum in London, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Washington National Gallery of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles Getty Museum and others) together with paintings lent by dioceses and parishes in and around Florence. From the Capponi chapel in the church of Santa Felicita in Florence comes the compellingly beautiful altarpiece with the Pietà (or Transport of Christ to the Tomb) from 1525-28, along with four tondi with the Evangelists by Pontormo and Bronzino. These are placed together in a highly evocative setting that echoes the architectural structure of the chapel itself. From the pieve of San Michele Arcangelo di Carmignano, near Prato and currently under restoration, comes Pontormo’s best-known work, the Visitation (1528-1532), which has been placed in the final room as a spectacular conclusion to the exhibition.

The exhibition follows a predominantly chronological structure with several in-depth sections along the way. It is divided into ten main sections with over 130 works in total, of which 84 are by Pontormo, and include paintings, frescoes, an extensive and carefully selected group of drawings, and the Libro mio manuscript. This is the artist’s journal kept between 1554 and 1556, a singular document with annotations and small drawings, which over the years has given rise to considerable psychological speculation. The catalogue offers a fresh interpretation of the work, seeking to temper the eccentric image that has been attributed to its author in the past.

The theme of the Visitation opens and closes the exhibition. The exhibition opens with a young Pontormo, already mature in artistic terms, in his depiction of the meeting between the two cousins Mary and Elizabeth in a grand setting (1514-1516). This work established his reputation within the artistic milieu of Florence. It is one of three detached frescoes from the Chiostrino dei Voti of the basilica della Santissima Annunziata, whose decoration was entrusted by the Servite friars to Andrea del Sarto and to his talented former assistants Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. The Servites have generously agreed to loan the works for the exhibition.
While he worked at the Santissima Annunziata, Pontormo was also involved in collaborative projects for the wealthy Florentine bourgeoisie, where his considerable talent for narration quickly emerged. This is clearly visible in the cycle known as the Story of Joseph (1515-1516), a series of painted panels that formed part of the furnishings of the bridal chamber of Pierfrancesco Borgherini and Margherita Acciaioli, on which Pontormo worked with Francesco Granacci, Andrea del Sarto and Francesco Ubertini, known as Bachiacca. The cycle has been partially reunited in the exhibition thanks to a series of loans from the major museums that hold the individual pieces. Pontormo then painted the Adoration of the Magi for the Benintendi antechamber, another collaborative project.

Also present at the Scuderie del Quirinale is the landmark cycle of detached frescoes of the Passion, from the Certosa del Galluzzo (1523-1525), where Pontormo and a young Bronzino took refuge from a violent outbreak of the plague. Four out of the total five lunettes have been kindly loaned for the exhibition. Their compositional impact and chromatic richness can be fully appreciated also thanks to conservation work carried out on all five lunettes, with the generous support of the Friends of Florence association. Inspired by the etchings of the great Albrecht Dürer, this cycle earned Pontormo harsh criticism from Giorgio Vasari, who also penned the first biography of the artist for the second edition of his Lives (1568). He accused Jacopo of having abandoned the fine Florentine manner in favour of the jagged and graceless Germanic style. During his time at the Certosa, Jacopo also painted the Supper at Emmaus (1525), one of the many loans to this exhibition from the Gallerie degli Uffizi and among the high points of his oeuvre. It is widely regarded as a precursor to Caravaggio on account of its authentic naturalism, as well as its stark contrasts between light and shadow.

During the troubled years that followed the last Florentine Republic, with the city under siege and then the definitive return to power of the Medici, Pontormo briefly collaborated with Michelangelo Buonarroti, who entrusted him with two of his cartoons to be translated into painting. Two memorable works resulted from the collaboration, the Noli me tangere, which has undergone restoration in preparation for this exhibition, and the Venus and Cupid that was destined for a room in the house of Bartolomeo Bettini. Together with the two lunettes of Dante and Petrarch by Bronzino, which have re-emerged from private collections, the Pontormo Venus will present the Bettini room more complete than Bettini himself was ever able to appreciate, given that Duke Alessandro compelled Bettini to sell him Jacopo’s painting as soon as it was completed.
The visit continues with a large selection of portraits painted by Jacopo for the Medici family, his lifelong patrons, as well as for other prominent figures. Among these is the famous Halberdier, whose identity remains debated. Whoever the sitter was, this work remains a landmark of Sixteenth-Century portraiture, offering a unique perspective on the prevailing ideals of virility and military prowess at the height of the Renaissance. Other highlights in this section include Pontormo’s austere and pensive Cosimo il Vecchio, in which he perfected the innovative formula of the allegorical portrait, and The Two Friends, juxtaposed with Bronzino’s dazzling Portrait of a Lady in Red.
A substantial section of the exhibition is devoted to Pontormo’s drawings, in which the human figure is central to the artist’s practice. Alongside his studies of young workshop assistants, caught in a myriad of different, natural poses, with the remarkable immediacy of snapshots, Jacopo made comparisons with a variety of other stimulating models, including the etchings of Albrecht Dürer. His register changed after his brief collaboration with Michelangelo in the early 1530s, when he began strengthening the musculature of his figures with more robust chiaroscuro. This is clear also in the preparatory drawings he made for the frescoes in the choir of San Lorenzo. Sadly destroyed, this was the most ambitious painting commission in mid-Sixteenth-Century Florence.
A selection of works by Jacopo’s contemporaries provides a context for his life and career, from his first teachers, Mariotto Albertinelli, Piero di Cosimo and Andrea del Sarto, to colleagues such as Rosso, Franciabigio, Puligo, Granacci and Bachiacca. Also featured are works by his pupils and collaborators such as Jacone and, above all, Bronzino, who painted the sculptural and luminous Panciatichi Crucified Christ.

Published by Electa, the catalogue will be a rigorous and up-to-date reference work for those wishing to learn more about Pontormo within the historical and cultural context of Sixteenth-Century Florence and of Mannerist painting at the height of the Renaissance. The essays and scholarly catalogue entries explore open and enigmatic questions that continue to provoke lively discussion, such as the identity of Pontormo’s models, the dating of certain pictures and whether or not some of his assistants appear in his works. Arguably the most exciting novelty explored in the catalogue is the restoration of the Corsini Madonna, from Florence. As well as confirming beyond doubt that the painting is indeed by Pontormo, the restoration revealed a small wing beneath a thick layer of paint added at a later date, indicating that the child in the lower part of the painting was not the infant St John the Baptist, as had previously been thought, but an angel.
“With Pontormo, the Scuderie del Quirinale presents a project of international significance, developed in partnership with an institution of the stature of the Gallerie degli Uffizi, coproduced Electa, the catalogue’s publisher, with loans from leading museums around the world and with the support of private sponsorship”, states Fabio Tagliaferri, President and Managing Director, Ales S.p.A. “This model of collaboration between public and private sectors will attract visitors from both Italy and abroad, and will further strengthen the international reputation of Italy’s cultural system. We have witnessed first-hand the success of Tesori dei Faraoni, which brought over 400,000 visitors, generated more than €5 million in profits and travelled the world from the Scuderie del Quirinale to venues as far afield as the United States: a high-quality exhibition can also be a sustainable investment and a strategic asset for the country”.

Matteo Lafranconi, Director, Scuderie del Quirinale: “This exhibition has been a major organisational challenge, a daring curatorial venture and a test of how the synergy between individual institutions can achieve extraordinarily ambitious goals. But above all it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the public to encounter one of the most seductive and beloved artists of the Renaissance”.
“The Gallerie degli Uffizi could not have missed the opportunity to partner with Scuderie del Quirinale and Ales on an exhibition project such as this, devoted to an artist so emblematic of the idea of fiorentinitas in the Cinquecento, such as Pontormo. What is more, the corpus of 27 works, including paintings and drawings – as well as masterpieces such as The Supper at Emmaus, the Virgin and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist, The Ten Thousand Martyrs – which our museum has contributed to the project, are fundamental to understanding the remarkable artistic experience of this great master”, commented Simone Verde, Director, Gallerie degli Uffizi.
“When we approached Cristina Acidini and the Scuderie del Quirinale with a proposal for a major exhibition devoted to Pontormo, as part of the initiatives commemorating Electa’s eightieth anniversary, we were seeking to reaffirm our commitment to promote research in art history and to offer a critical reappraisal of the pioneering figures in Italian art, in open dialogue with both institutions and scholars. It is thanks to their invaluable expertise, which guided us both in the development of the exhibition and in the preparation of the catalogue, that Pontormo will continue to influence contemporary visual and literary culture, with greater clarity than ever”, underlines Rosanna Cappelli, Managing Director, Electa.
Having benefited from restoration campaigns supported by generous sponsors, the exhibition also aims to encourage visitors to explore lesser-known sights such as the churches and villas around Florence, following itineraries which are alternative to the well-trodden paths of mass tourism without being in any way less noteworthy.
To reiterate the connection between the timeless art of Pontormo and the art of today, from 11 October 2026 to 7 February 2027 the church of Santa Maria Antiqua in the Roman Forum, part of the archaeological area of the Colosseum, will host The Greeting, one of the best-known video installations by Bill Viola, which was inspired by Pontormo’s Visitation and was presented at the 1995 Venice Biennale. The video installation is produced by Electa and the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo.
With thanks to Banca Passadore & C., AON, PwC and Montenovi for their support of the Pontormo exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome.