Family portraits from the lost Gaddi gallery: The Pittori dello Studiolo in the Florentine collection of Niccolò Gaddi.

This article focuses on the portrait patronage and picture collecting of Niccolò di Sinibaldo Gaddi (1537–1591), a prominent Florentine patron at the Medici court, through an analysis of his commissions between 1560 and 1591. It identifies a core group of fifteen portraits from Gaddi's lost gallery in the Casa dell'Orto, linking them to his family's dynastic history and the circle of the Pittori dello Studiolo, a group of artists active in Florence between 1530 and 1600. The study situates Gaddi's collection within the cultural and artistic milieu of late sixteenth-century Florence, highlighting his role in fostering a narrative style of portraiture that emphasized familial memory and emotional inheritance. Additionally, the article explores the dispersal of Gaddi's collection, its connection to Medici patronage, and the significance of his suburban Villa di Fontallerta as an intimate setting for his art and identity. This research contributes to understanding the evolution of Florentine portraiture beyond traditional Vasarian models and underscores the interplay between art, family, and courtly culture in Renaissance Florence.