The High Renaissance
 
&

Mannerism
       

Giulio Romano

(b Rome, ?1499; d Mantua, 1 Nov 1546).

Italian painter and architect. He was trained by Raphael, who became his friend and protector, and he developed into an artist of consequence in the third decade of the 16th century. His authority derived from his artistic lineage, attunement to the needs of courtly patrons and a style that blended modern sensibilities with the forms of Classical art. His greatest achievements were the monumental fresco programmes and architectural projects that he conceived and oversaw. Giulio’s contemporaries particularly praised the facility and inventiveness of his drawing, a view upheld by 20th-century writers. Most of his career was spent in Mantua, as court artist for Federico II Gonzaga, 5th Marchese and 1st Duke of Mantua (reg 1530–40). The Palazzo del Te, designed for Federico, is a tour de force of Mannerist architecture and decoration. Giulio’s Mantuan workshop was modelled on the organizational structure of Raphael’s; it did not, however, generate the sort of independent and highly skilled artist that Giulio himself exemplified.

Giulio Romano
Palazzo del Te, Mantua
(1524 - 1534)

"Sala di Psiche"
The Wedding of Psyche (detail)
1528
fresco
Palazzo del Te, Mantua

"Sala di Psiche"
Wedding banquet
Palazzo Te, Mantova, Italy

 

"Sala di Psiche"
Amore and Psiche (detail)
Palazzo Te, Mantova, Italy

"Sala di Psiche"
Mars and Venus bathing (detail)
Palazzo Te, Mantova, Italy