On being portrayed in a foreign port city: The case of British merchants and captains in Livorno (circa 1680–1700)

In the account books of Antonio Franchi (1638–1709), a portraitist at the Medici court, a surprisingly high number of commissions came from British merchants and captains living in the port city of Livorno in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Outlining a parallel between Britain's port cities and artworks of the same period, this contribution analyses the reasons why British demand for portraiture became such an important phenomenon in the life of Florentine painters during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Second, it explores the characteristics of portrait-making in Livorno and the identity of the patrons, with a focus on the relations between merchants and captains of the Royal Navy. Lastly, the article takes into consideration the dispersion of most portraits produced in port cities and how this can be linked to maritime and naval careers.