Portrait of Margherita de' Medici

Sustermans utilizes a dramatic chiaroscuro, setting the figure against a deep, muted background that heightens the luminous reds of her dress and hat. The intricate gold and white patterns, ruffled collar, and lace‑trimmed sleeves demonstrate meticulous brushwork and a keen interest in texture and materiality.

Created while Sustermans served as the Medici court painter, the portrait remained in the family’s private holdings before entering the Uffizi’s public collection. Its accession reflects the museum’s broader effort to assemble a comprehensive record of Medici portraiture from the early modern period.

The painting belongs to a period when Florentine patrons commissioned portraits to assert dynastic continuity and political influence. Sustermans, a Flemish artist who settled in Italy, blended Northern attention to detail with the Italian Baroque’s emphasis on drama, producing works that satisfied both local taste and international artistic trends.