BEJEWELLED AND brocaded, she gazes serenely at the viewer. Agnolo di Cosimo, better known as Bronzino, finished the portrait of Eleonora di Toledo, the Duchess of Florence, in 1545. She was an active participant in public life: by the time Bronzino completed the painting, Eleonora had already stepped into her husband’s shoes three times as regent. The Medici dynasty would …
