Bust of Bindo Altoviti

Bindo Altoviti was a wealthy Florentine banker. His father had set up a bank in Rome, but he died in 1507, leaving the 16-year-old Bindo as head of the family business. His business with the papal court required his presence in Rome. He was a patron and collector of works of art and, at the end of his life, proud opponent to the principality of Cosimo I de’ Medici, in the name of his republican ideas. Bindo was a friend of many important artists of his time, including Raphael, Michelangelo, Cellini and Vasari.

The portrait of the young Altoviti was painted by Raphael.