Cardinal of Portugal Altarpiece

The huge Cardinal of Portugal Altarpiece was painted by the two brothers Antonio and Piero del Pollaiolo round 1466-1468.

It was painted for the Church of San Miniato in Florence (where now is a copy of the painting) and it celebrates the Cardinal of Lisbona, Jacob of Lusitania, who had died in Florence when he was only 25 years old.

This painting, like others in the Uffizi Gallery, testifies how important were the so called Florentine “botteghe” – workshops in Florence where works of art were often accomplished by more than one artist at a time. The Pollaiolo brothers’ “bottega” was in fact one of the most important and active workshops in Florence.