Ex-voto of Cosimo II (1590-1621), 1617-24 (pietra dura, enamel, gems & gilded bronze frame)

An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; this panel was commissioned by Grand Duke Cosimo II de' Medici (1590-1621) in 1617 but finished after Cosimo's death; portraying the duke in regal robes and kneeling in prayer to Saint Charles Borromeo, it was designed by Giulio Parigi to be the centre panel of a gold altar to be installed in the chapel of St. Charles Borromeo, Milan; mosaic inlay by Michele Castrucci and Gualtieri Cecchi; gem setting and enamel reliefs by Jonas Falk; Saint Charles Borromeo was canonised in 1610 and became the focus of prayer for cures from sickness; Cosimo was among those who sought the saint's intercession for relief from ill health; the gold altar was melted down in 1789 but this panel survived and was mounted in a frame; view of the Duomo of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, and its tower are visible through the window;