Sebastiano del Piombo
by name of Sebastiano Luciani (c. 1485, Venice [Italy]—d. July 21, 1547,
Rome, Papal States [now in Italy]), Italian painter who tried to combine the rich
colours of the Venetian school with the monumental form of the Roman school.
While he was in Venice, Sebastiano was a pupil of Giorgione, whose influence is
apparent in his work. His works in fact were often confused with Giorgione's—e.g.,
“Salome” (1510; National Gallery, London). In 1511 Sebastiano went to Rome,
where the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi had engaged him to decorate his newly
built Villa Farnesina. Shortly after completing this commission, Sebastiano
settled permanently in Rome, where he became a member of Raphael's circle of
artists and soon showed himself to be a notable portraitist.
About 1515 Sebastiano came under the influence of Michelangelo and began
collaborating with that artist. From drawings and cartoons by Michelangelo he
executed his best-known work, the “Pietà” (c. 1517; Civic Museum, Viterbo), as
well as the “Flagellation” (1516–24; Borgherini Chapel, San Pietro in Montorio,
Rome) and the “Raising of Lazarus” (1519; National Gallery, London).
Michelangelo's opinion of him was so high that he thought by correcting his
rather dull draftmanship, he could make Sebastiano the best painter in Rome. In
his Roman work Sebastiano combined the warm colouring of the Venetian school
with the anatomical clarity and firm sculptural drawing probably resulting from
his association with Michelangelo.
From 1519 to 1530 Sebastiano had an unparalleled reputation in Rome as a
portraitist. Among the best of his later portraits are those of “Andrea Doria”
(1526; Doria Pamphili Gallery, Rome) and of “Clement VII” (1526; Capodimonte
Museum, Naples). In 1531 Pope Clement VII bestowed upon Sebastiano the lucrative
post of keeper of the papal seal (piombino is Italian for “lead seal,” hence his
nickname). During the last 17 years of his life this economic security seems to
have been a significant contributing factorin Sebastiano's limited production of
pictures.
