PONTORMO, JACOPO DA (1494-1556), was one of the leading representatives of the late Florentine school of painting, which, though nearing exhaustion. still reflected the traditions of the great age. He was born at Pontormo, near Empoli, on May 24, 1494, and was the son of Bartolommeo Carucci, a painter. He was apprenticed to Leonardo da and afterwards to Albertinelli and Piero di Cosimo. At the age of 18 he entered the workshop of Andrea del Sarto and was remarked as a young man of exceptional promise. One of his earliest works extant, painted in 1516, is the fresco in the vesti bule of S. Annunziata, Florence, representing the "Visitation." Two years later he completed the altarpiece in the church of S. Michele Visdomini. From this early period of the master date three small pictures painted for the mansion of Piero Franceschi Borgherini of Florence. One of these, representing "Joseph and his Kindred in Egypt," is now in the National Gallery, London.
It was regarded by Vasari as Pontormo's best picture. The other two panels, also of the story of Joseph, are with Lady Des borough at Panshanger. In 1521 he was employed on decorative work in the Medicean villa at Poggio a Caiano. He was then at the height of his powers, and a fresco painted in a large lunette with mythological figures may be regarded as one of his most successful achievements. He then took to imitating Diirer, whose engravings and woodcuts were circulating in Italy. In 1522 he executed at the Certosa di Val d'Erna a series of frescoes founded on the Passion subjects of the German master. Pontormo's last works were a series of frescoes for the church of S. Lorenzo, Florence. He had then fallen under the dangerous influence of Michelangelo's style. After working on these for I I years he left them incomplete. He died in Florence on Jan. 2, 1556.
See Vasari, Vite, edit. Milanesi.