Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

. Raphael was his most famous pupil.

Early years

He was born Pietro Vannucci in Città della Pieve,

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, the son of Cristoforo Maria Vannucci. His nickname characterizes him as from

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

, the chief city of Umbria. Scholars continue to dispute the socioeconomic status of the Vannucci family. While certain academics maintain that Vannucci worked his way out of poverty, others argue that his family was among the wealthiest in the town. His exact date of birth is not known, but based on his age at death that was mentioned by Vasari and Giovanni Santi, it is believed that he was born between 1446 and 1452. Pietro most likely began studying painting in local workshops in Perugia such as those of Bartolomeo Caporali or Fiorenzo di Lorenzo. The date of the first Florentine sojourn is unknown; some make it as early as 1466-1470, others push the date to 1479. According to Vasari, he was apprenticed to the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Lorenzo di Credi, Filippino Lippi, and others. Piero della Francesca is thought to have taught him perspective form. In 1472, he must have completed his apprenticeship since he was enrolled as a master in the Confraternity of St Luke. Pietro, although very talented, was not extremely enthusiastic about his work. Perugino was one of the earliest Italian practitioners of

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

. Some of his early works were extensive frescoes for the convent of the Ingessati fathers, destroyed during the Siege of Florence; he produced many cartoons for them also, which they executed with brilliant effect in stained glass. A good specimen of his early style in

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...

is the '' tondo'' (circular picture) in the

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

of the '' Virgin and Child Enthroned between Saints''.

Rome

Entrega de las llaves a San Pedro (Perugino)

Perugino returned from Florence to Perugia, where his Florentine training showed in the '' Adoration of the Magi'' for the church of Santa Maria dei Servi of Perugia (c. 1476). In about 1480, he was called to Rome by Sixtus IV to paint fresco panels for the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

walls. The frescoes he executed there included '' Moses'' ''and Zipporah'' (often attributed to

Luca Signorelli Luca Signorelli ( – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos of the ''Last Judgment'' (1499–15 ...

), the ''

Baptism of Christ The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Beth ...

'', and '' Delivery of the Keys''.

Pinturicchio Pinturicchio, or Pintoricchio (, ; born Bernardino di Betto; 1454–1513), also known as Benetto di Biagio or Sordicchio, was an Italian painter during the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname (meaning "little painter") because of his sma ...

accompanied Perugino to Rome, and was made his partner, receiving a third of the profits. He may have done some of the Zipporah subject. The Sistine frescoes were the major high Renaissance commission in Rome. The altar wall was also painted with the Assumption, the Nativity, and Moses in the

Bulrushes Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland graminoid, grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **''Scirpus'' **''Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **''Scirpoides'' **''Isolepis'' **''Schoenoplectus'' **''Trichophorum'' ...

. These works were later destroyed to make a space for Michelangelo's ''

Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

.'' Between 1486 and 1499, Perugino worked mostly in Florence, making one journey to Rome and several to Perugia, where he may have maintained a second studio. He had an established studio in Florence, and received a great number of commissions. His '' Pietà'' (1483–1493) in the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

is an uncharacteristically stark work that avoids Perugino's sometimes too easy sentimental piety. According to Vasari, Perugino was to return to Florence in September 1493 to marry Chiara, daughter of architect Luca Fancelli. The same year, Perugino made Florence his permanent home once again, though he continued to accept some work elsewhere.

Later career

In 1499, the guild of the ''cambio'' (money-changers or bankers) of Perugia asked him to decorate their audience-hall, the '' Sala delle Udienze del Collegio del Cambio''. The humanist Francesco Maturanzio acted as his consultant. This extensive scheme, which may have been finished by 1500, comprised the painting of the vault, showing the seven planets and the signs of the

zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...

(Perugino being responsible for the designs and his pupils most probably for the execution), and the representation on the walls of two sacred subjects: the Nativity and Transfiguration; in addition, the Eternal Father, the cardinal virtues of Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, Cato as the emblem of wisdom, and numerous life-sized figures of classic worthies, prophets, and sibyls figured in the program. On the mid-pilaster of the hall Perugino placed his own portrait in bust-form. It is probable that Raphael, who in boyhood, toward 1496, had been placed by his uncles under the tuition of Perugino, bore a hand in the work of the vaulting. Perugino was made one of the priors of Perugia in 1501. On one occasion Michelangelo told Perugino to his face that he was a bungler in art (''goffo nell arte''): Vannucci brought an action for defamation of character, unsuccessfully. Put on his mettle by this mortifying transaction, he produced the masterpiece of the ''Madonna and Saints'' for the Certosa of Pavia, now disassembled and scattered among museums: the only portion in the Certosa is ''God the Father with cherubim''. An ''Annunciation'' has disappeared; three panels, ''the Virgin adoring the infant Christ, St. Michael, and St. Raphael with Tobias'' are among the treasures of the National Gallery, London. This was succeeded in 1504–1507 by the Annunziata Altarpiece for the high altar of the Basilica dell'Annunziata in Florence, in which he replaced Filippino Lippi. The work was a failure, being accused of lack of innovation. Perugino lost his students; and toward 1506 he once more and finally, abandoned Florence, going to Perugia, and thence in a year or two to Rome.

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

had summoned Perugino to paint the Stanza of the Incendio del Borgo in the Vatican City; but he soon preferred a younger competitor, Raphael, who had been trained by Perugino; and Vannucci, after painting the ceiling with figures of ''God the Father'' in different glories, in five medallion-subjects, retired from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to Perugia from 1512. Among his latest works, many of which decline into repetitious studio routine, one of the best is the extensive altarpiece (painted between 1512 and 1517) of the church of San Agostino in Perugia, also now dispersed. Perugino's last frescoes were painted in the church of the Madonna delle Lacrime in

Trevi The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) is a collection of justice as well as migration & home affairs policies designed to ensure security, rights and free movement within the European Union (EU). Fields covered include the harmonisati ...

(1521, signed and dated), the monastery of Sant'Agnese in Perugia, and in 1522 for the church of Castello di Fortignano. Both series have disappeared from their places, the second being now in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. He was still at Fontignano in 1523 when he died of the plague. Like other plague victims, he was hastily buried in an unconsecrated field, the precise spot now unknown. Vasari is the main source stating that Perugino had very little religion and openly doubted the soul's immortality. Perugino in 1494 painted his own portrait, now in the Uffizi Gallery, and into it, he introduced a scroll entitled '' Timete Deum'' (Fear God: Revelation 14:7). That an open disbeliever should inscribe himself with Timete Deum seems odd. The portrait in question shows a plump face, with small dark eyes, a short but well-cut nose, and sensuous lips; the neck is thick, the hair bushy and frizzled, and the general air imposing. The later portrait in the Cambio of Perugia shows the same face with traces of added years. Perugino died with considerable property, leaving three sons. Pietro Perugino cat19

In 1495, he signed and dated a ''Deposition'' for the Florentine convent of Santa Chiara (

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

). Toward 1496 he frescoed a crucifixion, commissioned in 1493 for Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, Florence (the '' Pazzi Crucifixion''). The attribution to him of the painting of the marriage of Joseph and the Virgin Mary (the ''Sposalizio'') now in the museum of Caen, which indisputably served as the original, to a great extent, of the still more famous ''Sposalizio'' painted by Raphael in 1504 ( Brera, Milan), is now questioned, and it is assigned to Lo Spagna. A vastly finer work of Perugino's was the

polyptych A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a painting (usually panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Specifically, a "diptych" is a two-part work of art; a " triptych" is a three-part work; a tetrapt ...

of the ''Ascension of Christ'' painted ca 1496–98 for the church of S. Pietro of Perugia, (Municipal Museum,

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

); the other portions of the same altarpiece are dispersed in other galleries. In the chapel of the Disciplinati of Città della Pieve is an '' Adoration of the Magi'', a square of 6.5 m containing about thirty life-sized figures; this was executed, with scarcely credible celerity, from March 1 to 25 (or thereabouts) in 1505, and must no doubt be in great part the work of Vannucci's pupils. In 1507, when the master's work had for years been in a course of decline and his performances were generally weak, he produced, nevertheless, one of his best paintings, the ''Virgin between

Saint Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

and Saint Francis'', now in the Palazzo Penna. In the church of S. Onofrio in Florence is a much lauded and much debated fresco of the Last Supper, a careful and blandly correct but uninspired work; it has been ascribed to Perugino by some connoisseurs, by others to Raphael; it may more probably be by some different pupil of the Umbrian master. Among his pupils were Raphael, upon whose early work Perugino's influence is most noticeable,

Pompeo Cocchi Pompeo Cocchi di Pier Gentile (active 1523) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active in Umbria. Biography Born in Corciano, he was a pupil of the painter Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, w ...

,''Catalogo dei quadri che si conservano nella Pinacoteca Vannucci in Perugia''
by Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, (1903). Eusebio da San Giorgio, Mariano di Eusterio, and Giovanni di Pietro (lo Spagna).

Monuments

Perugia dedicated an important monument to Perugino built in 1923 by the sculptor Enrico Quattrini and today visible in the Carducci Gardens.

Major works

*''The Delivery of the Keys'' (1481–1482) — Fresco, 335 × 600 cm,

, Vatican City *''Crucifixion'' (the Galitzin triptych, 1480s) — painted for San Domenico at San Gimignano, National Gallery, Washington *'' Pietà'' (c. 1483–1493) -Oil on panel, 168x176 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence *'' Cathedral of Saint Romulus of Fiesole'' - altarpiece, Fiesole, Italy *'' Annunciation of Fano'' (c. 1488–1490) -Oil on panel, 212x172 cm, church of Santa Maria Nuova, Fano *'' Portrait of Lorenzo di Credi'' (1488) -Oil on panel transferred to canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. *'' St. Sebastian'' (c. 1490) — Oil on panel, 174 × 88 cm, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm *'' St. Sebastian'' (c. 1490–1500) — Panel, 176 × 116 cm, Louvre,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

*''St. Sebastian'' (after 1490) — Oil on wood, 110 × 62 cm, Galleria Borghese,

*'' The Virgin appearing to St. Bernard'' (c. 1490–1494) — Oil on wood, 173 × 170 cm,

Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pi ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Albani Torlonia Altarpiece The ''Albani Torlonia Altarpiece'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino, executed in 1491 and housed in the Torlonia Collection, Rome. It was commissioned by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future pope Julius II. D ...

(1491) - Tempera on panel, 174 x 88 cm, Torlonia Collection,

*''

Madonna with Child Enthroned between Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian ''Madonna with Child Enthroned between Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino, executed in 1493, and housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. History The work was commissioned by Co ...

''(1493) - Oil on panel, 178x164 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence *'' St Sebastian (Perugino, Hermitage)'' (1493–1494) — Oil and tempera on panel, 53.8 × 39.5 cm, The Hermitage,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

*'' Portrait of Francesco delle Opere'' (1494) - Oil on panel, 52 x 44 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence *'' Certosa di Pavia Altarpiece'' (1496–1500) - Oil on panel, 52 x 44 cm, National Gallery, London * Decemviri Altarpiece (1497) -Oil on panel, 193x165 cm, Pinacoteca Vaticana,

* Fano Altarpiece (1497) -Oil on panel, 262x215 cm, church of Santa Maria Nuova, Fano *'' San Francesco al Prato Resurrection'' (c. 1499–1501) -Oil on panel, 233x165 cm, Pinacoteca Vaticana,

* Vallombrosa Altarpiece (1500) -Oil on panel, 415x246 cm, Galleria dell'Accademia,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

* Tezi Altarpiece (c. 1500) -Oil on panel, 180x158 cm,

Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria (English: National Gallery of Umbria) the Italian national paintings collection of Umbria, housed in the Palazzo dei Priori, Perugia, in central Italy. Located on the upper floors of the Palazzo dei Priori, the ex ...

*'' Madonna in Glory with Saints'' (c. 1500–1501) -Oil on panel, 330x265 cm,

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna The National Art Gallery of Bologna (''Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'') is a museum in Bologna, Italy. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the ...

*''

Marriage of the Virgin The Marriage of the Virgin is the subject in Christian art depicting the marriage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The marriage is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels but is covered in several apocryphal sources and in later redactions, no ...

'' (1500–1504) — Oil on wood, 234 × 185, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Caen *'' St. Sebastian Bound to a Column'' (c. 1500–1510) — Oil on canvas, 181 × 115 cm,

São Paulo Museum of Art The São Paulo Museum of Art ( pt, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, or ') is an art museum located on Paulista Avenue in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It is well known for its headquarters, a 1968 concrete and glass structure designed by Lina Bo ...

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*'' Combat of Love and Chastity'' (1503) — Tempera on canvas, 160 x 191 cm, painted for Isabella d'Este studiolo, Louvre,

* Annunziata Polyptych (1504–1507) – Oil on panel, 334 x 225 cm (the main panel),

Gallerie dell'Accademia The Gallerie dell'Accademia is a museum gallery of pre-19th-century art in Venice, northern Italy. It is housed in the Scuola della Carità on the south bank of the Grand Canal, within the sestiere of Dorsoduro. It was originally the gallery o ...

and Annunziata, Florence *''The Nativity: the Virgin, St. Joseph, and the Shepherds adoring the Infant Christ'' (c. 1522) — Fresco transferred to canvas from S. Maria Assunta, at Fontignano, 254 x 594 cm, Victoria & Albert Museum,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

*''

Ascension of Christ The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the Vulgate la, ascensio Iesu, lit=ascent of Jesus) is the Christian teaching that Christ physically departed from Earth by rising to Heaven, in the presence of eleven of his apostles. According to the ...

'' (Sansepolcro Altarpiece; c. 1510) - Oil on panel, 332.5 x 266 cm,

Sansepolcro Cathedral The Cathedral of Sansepolcro (Italian: ''Duomo di Sansepolcro''; officially a co-cathedral) is a Catholic church in Sansepolcro, Tuscany, central Italy. History According to tradition, the foundations of the cathedral dates to the 9th century, ...

* ''

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

'' (1512–1523) – Oil on Panel, 89 x 71 cm, Part of polyptych

Birmingham Museum of Art The Birmingham Museum of Art is a museum in Birmingham, Alabama. It has one of the most extensive collections of artwork in the Southeastern United States, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts repres ...

File:Pietro Perugino - Assumption of the Virgin - WGA17283.jpg, ''Assumption of the Virgin'' (c. 1506) File:Pietro Perugino cat41b.jpg, ''Decemviri Altarpiece'' (1495) File:Pietro Perugino cat77a.jpg, ''The Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome and Francis'' (c. 1507) File:Pietro Perugino cat36.jpg, ''Virgin and Child between Saints Rosa and Catherine'' (c. 1493) File:Pietro Perugino 057.jpg, Detail, ''Madonna'' File:Pietro Perugino 025.jpg, Detail, ''Prophets and Sibyls'', fresco File:Pietro Perugino 026.jpg, Detail, ''Prophets and Sibyls'', fresco File:Pietro Perugino 036.jpg, Detail, ''The Delivery of the Keys'', fresco File:Pietro Perugino catA2.jpg, '' Portrait of a boy'' (1495) File:Pietro Perugino cat37.jpg, Portrait of Francesco delle Opere File:Pietro Perugino cat62-1.jpg, Detail, ''Madonna with Child'' File:Lorenzo di Credi by Perugino.jpg, Portrait of Lorenzo di Credi

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
Pietro Perugino at the National Gallery of Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perugino, Pietro Italian Renaissance painters Quattrocento painters Italian male painters 1446 births 1523 deaths Fresco painters Umbrian painters *Perugino People from the Province of Perugia 16th-century deaths from plague (disease) 15th-century Italian painters 16th-century Italian painters Catholic painters