Maria Salviati (1499-1543) was the mother of Duke Cosimo I. It is unknown whether the dating of the portrait is at all accurate since Pontormo’s only recorded painting of the woman was done while working on the frescoes in the villa in Castello in 1543-1545, however the figure in the portrait is decidedly youthful in appearance. Some critics suspect that the painting is meant to embody the spirit of Maria Salviati.
