Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, 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 Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

became his most famous pupil.

Early years

Pietro Vannucci was born in Città della Pieve,

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

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

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, the chief city of

. 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 Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work '' Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ide ...

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 Fiorenzo di Lorenzo ( 1440 – 1522) was an Italian painter, of the Umbrian school. He lived and worked at Perugia, where most of his authentic works are still preserved in the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria. Fiorenzo is known from a few sig ...

. 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 Andrea del Verrocchio ( , , ; born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni; – 1488) was an Italian sculpture, sculptor, List of Italian painters, painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently bec ...

alongside

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Lorenzo di Credi, Filippino Lippi, and others.

Piero della Francesca Piero della Francesca ( , ; ; ; – 12 October 1492) was an Italian Renaissance painter, Italian painter, mathematician and List of geometers, geometer of the Early Renaissance, nowadays chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting is charact ...

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. Perugino was one of the earliest central Italian practitioners of

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

. Some of his early works were extensive

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 ...

es for the convent of the Gesuati fathers at San Giusto alle Mura, destroyed during the Siege of Florence; he produced many cartoons for them also, which they executed with brilliant effect in

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

Rome

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 (). In about 1480, he was called to Rome by

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

to paint fresco panels for the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...

walls. The frescoes he executed there included ''

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

'' ''and

Zipporah Zipporah is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Jethro (biblical figure), Jethro, the priest and prince of Midian. She is the mother of Moses' two sons: Eliezer and Gershom. In the Book of Chronicles, two of ...

'' (often attributed to Luca Signorelli), the '' Baptism of Christ'', and '' Delivery of the Keys''. Pinturicchio accompanied Perugino to Rome, and was made his partner, receiving a third of the profits. He may have done some of the Zipporah subjects. The Sistine frescoes were the major high Renaissance commissions in Rome. The altar wall was also painted with the Assumption, the Nativity, and

in the Bulrushes. These works were later destroyed to make space for

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's ''

Last Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

''. Between 1486 and 1499, Perugino mainly worked between Florence and Perugia, maintaining studios in each city. According to

, in Florence in September 1493, Perugino married Chiara, daughter of architect Luca Fancelli.

Later career

In 1496, 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 scholar 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 and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

(Perugino being responsible for the designs and his assistants most probably for the majority of the execution), and the representation on the walls of two sacred subjects: the Nativity and Transfiguration; in addition, the Eternal Father, the

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in classical philosophy. They are prudence, Justice (virtue), justice, Courage, fortitude, and Temperance (virtue), temperance. They form a Virtue ethics, virtue theory of ethics. The t ...

of Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, Cato as the emblem of wisdom, and numerous life-sized figures of classic worthies, prophets, and

sibyl The sibyls were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophet, prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by Pausanias (geographer), PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he desc ...

s figured in the program. On the mid-pilaster of the hall, Perugino placed his own portrait in bust-form. It is possible that

, who in boyhood, toward 1496, may have 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

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

s of Perugia in 1501. On one occasion

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, Saint Michael, and Saint Raphael with Tobias'' are among the treasures of the

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

. 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 (; ; 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, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

had summoned Perugino to paint the Stanza of the Incendio del Borgo in the

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

; but he soon preferred a younger competitor,

, 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 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, ...

to Perugia from 1512. Among his latest works, 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

es were painted in the church of the Madonna delle Lacrime in

Trevi The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) of the European Union (EU) is a policy domain concerning home affairs and migration, justice as well as fundamental rights, developed to address the challenges posed to internal security by col ...

(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 (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. 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. Perugino died with considerable property, leaving three sons. Vasari is the main source stating that Perugino had very little religion and openly doubted the soul's immortality. In 1494, Lorenzo di Credi painted Perugino's 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 be inscribed 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. 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''). He painted the marriage of Joseph and the Virgin Mary (the ''Sposalizio'') now in the museum of

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, which indisputably served as the original, to a great extent, of the still more famous ''Sposalizio'' painted by Raphael in 1504 ( Brera, Milan). A further work of Perugino's was the

polyptych A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Some definitions restrict "polyptych" to works with more than three sections: a diptych is ...

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

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

); 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 he produced the ''Virgin between

Saint Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known for his translation of the Bible ...

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

; it may more probably be by some different pupil of the Umbrian master. Among his pupils were likely Raphael, upon whose early work Perugino's influence is most noticeable, Pompeo Cocchi,''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.

Select works

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

* Galitzin Triptych (1480s) — painted for San Domenico at

San Gimignano San Gimignano (; named after St. Geminianus) is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Five Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the pr ...

; National Gallery, Washington * ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

'' () — Oil on panel, 168 × 176 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence * '' Cathedral of Saint Romulus of Fiesole'' — altarpiece,

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. ...

, Italy * '' Annunciation of Fano'' () — Oil on panel, 212 × 172 cm, church of Santa Maria Nuova,

Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...

* '' Portrait of Lorenzo di Credi'' (1488) — Oil on panel transferred to canvas,

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

, Washington, D.C. * ''

Saint Sebastian Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

'' () — Oil on panel, 174 × 88 cm,

Nationalmuseum Nationalmuseum is the List of national galleries, national gallery of fine arts of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm. The museum's operations stretch far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, including the Natio ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

* ''

'' () — Panel, 176 × 116 cm,

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

* ''Saint Sebastian'' (after 1490) — Oil on wood, 110 × 62 cm,

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 ...

* '' The Vision of Saint Bernard'' () — 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) Pin ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

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

* '' Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian ''(1493) - Oil on panel, 178x164 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence * ''

'' (1493–1494) — Oil and tempera on panel, 53.8 × 39.5 cm,

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

, St. Petersburg * '' 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,

* '' San Francesco al Prato Resurrection'' () -Oil on panel, 233x165 cm, Pinacoteca Vaticana,

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

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 ...

* Tezi Altarpiece () -Oil on panel, 180x158 cm, Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria,

* '' Madonna in Glory with Saints'' () -Oil on panel, 330x265 cm, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna * '' Marriage of the Virgin'' (1500–1504) — Oil on wood, 234 × 185, Musée des Beaux-Arts,

* ''

'' () — Oil on canvas, 181 × 115 cm, São Paulo Museum of Art,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

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

* Annunziata Polyptych (1504–1507) – Oil on panel, 334 x 225 cm (the main panel), Gallerie dell'Accademia and Annunziata, Florence * ''The Nativity: The Virgin, Saint Joseph, and the Shepherds Adoring the Infant Christ'' () — Fresco transferred to canvas from Santa Maria Assunta, at Fontignano, 254 x 594 cm, Victoria & Albert Museum,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

* '' Ascension of Christ'' (Sansepolcro Altarpiece; ) - Oil on panel, 332.5 x 266 cm, Sansepolcro Cathedral * ''

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

'' (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. Its collection includes more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing various cultures, including Asian, European, United States, Amer ...

File:Pietro Perugino - Assumption of the Virgin - WGA17283.jpg, ''Assumption of the Virgin'' () File:Pietro Perugino cat41b.jpg, ''Decemviri Altarpiece'' (1495) File:Pietro Perugino cat77a.jpg, ''The Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome and Francis'' () File:Pietro Perugino cat36.jpg, ''Virgin and Child Between Saints Rose and Catherine'' () 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 15th-century births 1523 deaths Fresco painters Umbrian painters *Perugino People from Città della Pieve 16th-century deaths from plague (disease) 15th-century Italian painters 16th-century Italian painters Catholic painters Painters from Florence People from Perugia 15th-century deaths from plague (disease)