Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an

Italian Baroque painter Italian Baroque art was a very prominent part of the Baroque art in painting, sculpture and other media, made in a period extending from the end of the sixteenth to the mid eighteenth centuries. The movement began in Italy, and despite later curr ...

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

descent who was active in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

(1591–1600; 1609; 1610; 1618–1622), Rome (1600–1609; 1610–1617; 1623–1625),

Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...

(1609–1610),

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

(1621–1622) and

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

(1633).

Early years in Bologna

Albani was born in

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

, in 1578. His father was a silk merchant who intended his son to go into his own trade. By the age of twelve, however, he had become an apprentice to the competent

mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

painter

Denis Calvaert Denis Calvaert (; around 154016 April 1619) was an Antwerp-born Flemish painter who spent most of his life in Italy, where he was known as Dionisio Fiammingo () or simply Il Fiammingo ("the Fleming"). Calvaert was a profound student of architectu ...

, in whose studio he met

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

. He soon followed Reni to the so-called "Academy" run by

Annibale Annibale is the Italian masculine given name and surname equivalent to Hannibal. In English, it may refer to : Given name * Annibale Albani (1682–1751), Italian cardinal * Annibale I Bentivoglio, (died 1445), ruler of Bologna from 1443 * Ann ...

, Agostino, and

Ludovico Ludovico () is an Italian masculine given name. It is sometimes spelled Lodovico. The feminine equivalent is Ludovica. Persons with the name Ludovico Given name * Ludovico D'Aragona (1876–1961), Italian socialist politician * Ludovico Arios ...

Carracci. This studio fostered the careers of many painters of the

Bolognese school The Bolognese school of painting, also known as the ''school of Bologna'', flourished between the 16th and 17th centuries in Bologna, which rivalled Florence and Rome as the center of painting in Italy. Its most important representatives in ...

, including

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoe ...

Massari Sari Abboud (; born December 10, 1980), better known by his stage name Massari ( ), is a Lebanese-Canadian singer and songwriter. He began his career in the early 2000s and went on to release two contemporary R&B, R&B albums, ''Massari (album), Ma ...

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

Lanfranco Lanfranco (active in Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. ...

Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and architect. He was an accomplished fresco painter of classical landscapes which were popular with leading Roman families. Life Grimaldi w ...

Pietro Faccini Pietro Faccini or Facini (15621 April 1602), was an Italian painter, draughtsman and printmaker.Pietro Fa ...

Remigio Cantagallina Remigio Cantagallina (c. 1582–1656) was an Italian etcher active in the Baroque period. He was born in Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, in the province of Arezzo. He is best known for his etchings of landscapes and religious subje ...

, and

Mature work in Rome

In 1600, Albani moved to Rome to work on the fresco decoration of the gallery of the

Palazzo Farnese Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French e ...

, which was being completed by the studio of Annibale Carracci. At this time, Rome, under

Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

''Aldobrandini'' (1592–1605) was exhibiting some degree of administrative stability and renewed artistic patronage. While Pope Clement had been born into a Florentine family resident in

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

, his family was allied by marriage to the

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

and the Farnese, since

Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma Ranuccio I Farnese (28 March 1569 – 5 March 1622) reigned as Duke of Parma, Duke of Piacenza, Piacenza and Duchy of Castro, Castro from 1592. A firm believer in absolute monarchy, Ranuccio, in 1594, centralised the administration of Parma and ...

had married

Margherita Aldobrandini Margherita Aldobrandini (29 March 1588 — 9 August 1646), was an Italian noblewoman member of the Aldobrandini family and by marriage Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza during 1600–1622. She was also Regent of both Duchies during 1626–162 ...

. Parma, like Bologna, being part of the Region of Emilia-Romagna, it was not surprising that Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, Ranuccio's brother, chose to patronise the Carraccis from Bologna, thereby establishing Bolognese dominance of Roman

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

painting for nearly two decades. Albani became one of Annibale's most prominent apprentices. Using Annibale's designs and assisted by Lanfranco and

Sisto Badalocchio Sisto Badalocchio Rosa (28 June 1585 – ) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver of the Bolognese School. Born in Parma, he worked first under Agostino Carracci in Bologna, then Annibale Carracci, in Rome. He worked with Annibale till ...

, Albani completed frescoes for the San Diego Chapel in

San Giacomo degli Spagnoli Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore (, also known as San Giacomo degli Spagnoli and in Spanish, Santiago de los Españoles) is a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary located in Rome's Piazza Navona. History An earlier church, San Giacomo de ...

between 1602 and 1607. In 1606–7, Albani completed the frescoes in the

Palazzo Mattei di Giove The Palazzo Mattei di Giove is the most prominent among a group of Mattei houses that forms the ''insula Mattei'' in Rome, Italy, a block of buildings of many epochs. Name To distinguish this section from the others it carries the name of a Matt ...

in Rome. He later completed two other frescoes in the same palace, also on the theme of ''Life of Joseph''. In 1609, he completed the ceiling of a large hall with ''Fall of Phaeton and Council of the Gods'' for the Palazzo Giustiniani (now Palazzo Odescalchi) at Bassano (di Sutri) Romano. This work was commissioned by

Vincenzo Giustiniani Vincenzo Giustiniani (13 September 1564 – 27 December 1637) was an aristocratic Italian banker, art collector and intellectual of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, known today largely for the Giustiniani art collection, assembled at the ...

, also famous as a patron of

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

. During 1612–14, Albani completed the Choir frescoes at the church of

Santa Maria della Pace Santa Maria della Pace is a Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholi ...

which had just been remodelled by

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

. In 1616 he painted ceiling frescoes of ''Apollo and the Seasons'' at Palazzo Verospi in

Via del Corso The Via del Corso is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is straight in an area otherwise characterized by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas. Considered a wide street in ancient times, the Corso is approximately 10 metres w ...

for the cardinal Fabrizio Verospi. In his later years, Albani developed a mutual, though respectful, rivalry with the more successful

, who was also heavily patronized by the Aldobrandini, and under whom Albani had worked at the chapel of the

Palazzo del Quirinale The Quirinal Palace ( ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, the main official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporziano, an estate on the outskirts of Rome, som ...

. Albani's best frescoes are those on mythological subjects. Among the best of his sacred subjects are a ''St Sebastian'' and an ''Assumption of the Virgin'', both in the church of

San Sebastiano fuori le Mura San Sebastiano fuori le mura (Saint Sebastian outside the Walls), or San Sebastiano ''ad Catacumbas'' (Saint Sebastian at the Catacombs), is a Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Minor basilicas, minor basilica in Rome, Central Italy. Up to the Grea ...

in Rome. He was among the Italian painters to devote himself to painting cabinet pictures. His mythological subjects include ''The Sleeping Venus'', ''Diana in the Bath'', ''Danaë Reclining'', ''Galatea on the Sea'', and ''Europa on the Bull''. A rare etching, the ''Death of Dido'', is attributed to him.

Carlo Cignani Carlo Cignani (; 15 May 1628 – 8 September 1719) was an Italian painter. His innovative style referred to as his 'new manner' introduced a reflective, intimate mood of painting and presaged the later pictures of Guido Reni and Guercino, as well ...

Andrea Sacchi Andrea Sacchi (30 November 159921 June 1661) was an Italian painter of High Baroque Classicism, active in Rome. A generation of artists who shared his style of art include the painters Nicolas Poussin and Giovanni Battista Passeri, the sculptor ...

Francesco Mola Pier Francesco Mola, called Il Ticinese (9 February 1612 – 13 May 1666) was an Italian painter of the High Baroque, mainly active around Rome. Biography Mola was born in Coldrerio (now in Ticino, Switzerland).''Ecstasy in the Wilderness: Pier ...

, and

were among his students. Following the death of his wife he returned to Bologna, where he married a second time and lived until his death.

Legacy

Albani never acquired the monumentality or tenebrism that was quaking the contemporary world of painters, and is often derided for his lyric, cherubim-filled sweetness, which often has not yet shaken the mannerist elegance. While Albani's thematic would have appealed to

Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the Classicism, classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and ...

, he lacked the Frenchman's muscular drama. His style sometimes seems to have more in common with the decorative

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

than with the painting of his own time. Among his pupils were his brother Giovanni Battista Albani, and others including Giacinto Bellini, Girolamo Bonini, Giacinto Campagna, Antonio Catalani,

, Giovanni Maria Galli, Filippo Menzani, Bartolommeo Morelli,

, Andrea Sghizzi, Giovanni Battista Speranza, Antonio Maria del Sole,

Emilio Taruffi Emilio Taruffi (1633–1696) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was a fellow-pupil with Carlo Cignani in the studio of Francesco Albani, then a pupil of the former. Active first at Bologna, in decorating the public hall, and next ...

, and

Francesco Vaccaro Francesco Vaccaro may refer to: * Francesco Vaccaro (painter) (c. 1636–1675), Bolognese painter and engraver of the Baroque period * Francesco Vaccaro (footballer) (born 1999), Italian footballer {{hndis, Vaccaro, Francesco ...

.Hobbes, p.3

Major works

*Se
Chronological List of paintings by Francesco Albani
*Frescoes in Hall of Aeneas –

Palazzo Fava Palazzo Fava or Palazzo Fava-Ghisilieri is a historic palace at 2 via Manzoni in Bologna, now housing art exhibitions and the Caffè Letterario Carracci Fava. It is most notable for its three rooms of frescoes of scenes from the lives of Jason, M ...

*Frescoes in Oratory of San Colombano – Bologna *Frescoes in Hall of Aeneas (1601–1602) –

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj The Galleria Doria Pamphilj (often Doria Pamphilj Gallery or Doria Pamphili Gallery in English) is a large private art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entr ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

*Frescoes for

(1602–1607) –

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

and in National Art Museum of Catalonia *''Holy Family with Angels'' (1608–1610) – MFA,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

*Allegorical canvases of the season
''Spring''
an

(1616–1617) –

Galleria Borghese The or Borghese Gallery is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, housed in the former Villa Borghese Pinciana. At the outset, the gallery building was integrated with its gardens, but nowadays the Villa Borghese gardens are considered a separate touri ...

, Rome *'' Nativity of the Virgin'' (1598) – Pinacoteca, Museo Capitolino, Rome *''Baptism of Christ'' (c. 1620) –

Oil on canvas Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or copper for several centuries. ...

, 428.5 x 224.5 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 ...

*''Diana and Actaeon'' (1625–1630) –

Oil on wood A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular Support (art), support medium in the 16th century, panel painting was the normal method, ...

transferred to canvas, 74,5 x 99,5 cm, Gemäldegalerie,

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

*''Four Elements ''(1628–1630) – Pinacoteca, Turin *''Holy Family with Angels'' (1630–1635) – Oil on canvas, 57 x 43 cm,

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 ...

*''Self-Portrait'' (c. 1630) – Oil on canvas, 75 x 59.5 cm, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna *''Venus Attended by Nymphs and Cupids'' (1633) –Oil on canvas, 114 x 171 cm, Prado, Madri

*''Annunciation'' (1633) – Church of Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano, San Bartolomeo, Bologna *''The Annunciation'' –

Oil on copper Oil on copper painting is the process of creating artworks by using oil paints with copper as the substrate. This is sometimes referred to as "copper as canvas" because canvas is the most well known surface material used for oil paintings. Histo ...

, 62 x 47 cm, Hermitage, St. Petersburg
*''Madonna with Child in Glory with Sts. Jerome and Francis'' (c. 1640) – Oil on copper, 43.5 x 31.8 cm, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna *''The Baptism of Christ'' (c. 1640) – Oil on canvas, 268 x 195 cm, Hermitage Museum, Hermitage,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

*''The Rape of Europa'' (c. 1640–1645) – Oil on canvas, 170 x 224 cm, Hermitage, St. Petersburg *''Annunciation'' (c. 1640-1645) – Oil on copper, 62 x 47 cm, Hermitage, St. Petersburg *''The Holy Women at Christ's Tomb'' (1640s–1650s) – Oil on canvas, 170 x 224 cm, Hermitage, St. Petersburg *''Danza degli amorini ''–

Pinacoteca di Brera The Pinacoteca di Brera ("Brera Art Gallery") is the main public gallery for paintings in Milan, Italy. It contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings from the 13th to the 20th century, an outgrowth of the cultural program of ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

*''Tondo Borghese'' – Galleria Borghese, Rome *''Tasso's landscapes'' – Galleria Colonna, Rome *''Holy Family'' – Church of Madonna di Galliera, Bologna

Works owned by the Musée du Louvre

*''Actaeon Changed into a Stag'' (c. 1630) *''Actaeon Changed into a Stag'' (c. 1617) *''Adonis Led by Cupids to Venus'' (1621–1633) *''Apollo and Daphne'' (c. 1615–1620) *''The Lamentation of Christ'' (c. 1601–1602) *''The Toilet of Venus'' (1621–1633) *''The Annunciation'' (c. 1620–1625) *''Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene / Noli me tangere'' (c. 1620–1625) *''The Eternal Father and the Angel Gabriel'' (c. 1650–1660) *''Venus and Vulcan Resting'' (1621–1633) *''Nymphs Disarming Cupids'' (1621–1633) *''Saint Francis of Assisi Praying Before a Crucifix'' (c. 1630–1650) *''Salmacis and Hermaphroditus'' (c. 1630–1640) *''Venus and Adonis'' (c. 1630–1640) *''The Nativity'' (c. 1600), attributed File:Francesco Albani - The Holy Family.jpg, ''The Holy Family'' (Sacra Famiglia), 1630–35, oil on canvas, Galleria Pitti, Florence Image:Albani Venus.JPG, ''Venus and Amor'', oil on canvas

Notes

References

* *

External links

*
Francesco Albani in the "History of Art"

Francesco Albani Paintings Gallery
(Public Domain Paintings - www.art.onilm.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Albani, Francesco 1578 births 1660 deaths Painters from Bologna 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters Italian Baroque painters Fresco painters Albani family Catholic painters