The author's main purpose is to reposition the works of Jacopo Pontormo within the history of art and, more specifically, Italian Renaissance. While the first sections provide the context of his personal life and career as the pre-eminent painter in mid sixteenth century Florence, further chapters trace Pontormo's stylistic development from High Renaissance classicism through his anti-classical explorations. The book also provides a series of brief biographies of Pontormo's 20 key paintings.