"Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572) was one of the leading representatives of Florentine Mannerist painting. In this important new study, the eminent French art historian Maurice Brock provides a detailed analysis of this painter's remarkable oeuvre, taking into account the latest developments in scholarship and drawing on information about the artist's life that has recently come to light." "Eschewing a chronological approach, the author examines the paintings according to genre, focusing above all on Bronzino's portraits and religious paintings, and in particular on the little-known altarpieces and private devotional pictures. For Bronzino, art was the imitation of art, not the faithful imitation of nature. This book explains how he borrowed from other art forms, notably sculpture, and it looks at the relationship between the artist's paintings and his literary oeuvre. The text also considers Bronzino's position within the Florentine tradition, the influence of Florentine courtly society, and the importance of the artistic conventions for portraiture." "Illustrated with reproductions of both lesser-known works and Bronzino's more familiar paintings, this major new monograph showcases Bronzino's extraordinarily refined technique and offers new insights into the artist's conception and practice of painting."--BOOK JACKET