Pulzone’s Portraits of The Pope and his Son

Scipione Pulzone's arresting Portrait of Jacapo Boncompagni, features Pope Gregory XIII’s illegitimate son, Jacopo Boncompagni, wearing a suit of armor. The closest surviving suit resembles a specimen on display on the Met today.  The second image is a study for Pope Gregory XIII’s papal portrait. The artist became a close personal friend of the Pope, who became the namesake and godfather of Pulzone’s son.