Pier Francesco Foschi (1502–1567) was an Italian painter active in

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 ...

in a

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 ...

style. He was pupil of Andrea del Sarto and assisted

Pontormo Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci (; May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo (), was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylisti ...

with his frescoes at

Careggi The Villa Medici at Careggi is a patrician villa in the hills near Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed as Medici villas, Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany. History The villa was among the f ...

in 1536. He completed 3 altarpieces, commissioned in 1540–1545 for the church of Santo Spirito in Florence: an ''Immaculate Conception'', ''Resurrection'', and a ''Transfiguration''. Foschi was also influenced by Il Bronzino. One of his pupils was Alessandro Fei. Also called ''Pier Francesco di Jacopo Foschi'' or ''Toschi'', he was the son of Jacopo Sandro Foschi, known for his ''Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John''. (

Utah Museum of Fine Arts The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is a state and university art museum located in downtown Salt Lake City on the University of Utah campus. Housed in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building near Rice-Eccles Stadium, the museum holds a permane ...

). Foschi is best noted for his portraits painted between 1530 and 1540, including his ''Portrait of a Lady'' (

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (, ; named after its founder, Baron Heinrich Thyssen, Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Museo del Prado, Prado Museum on one of the city ...

), ''Portrait of a Young Man Weaving a Wreath of Flowers'' (

), and his ''Portrait of a Man'', (

Uffizi Gallery The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum 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 and the most visited, it is also one of ...

). In his portraits he adhered to Mannerist style, utilizing a slight

Contrapposto ( 'counterpoise'), in the visual arts, is a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the axial plane. First appearing in Ancient Greece in the early 5th ...

in the sitter with their head turned from the body. This pose gave the depiction a spontaneity and sense of movement for the innovative Mannerists, but was eventually so formulaic that it lost its intention of originality. Foschi’s ''Portrait of a Lady'' and ''Portrait of a Man Weaving a Wreath of Flowers'', shows an interesting use of background and subtle symbolisms to convey the essence of the sitter, while his ''Portrait of a Man'' (at the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum 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 and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

), shows a more standard portrait depiction of the period. In 2022, the

Georgia Museum of Art Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

organized the first exhibition devoted entirely to Foschi's work and published an exhibition catalogue that is the most widely available resource on the artist.
''Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, "Wealth and Beauty: Pier Francesco Foschi and Painting in Renaissance Florence"'' exhibition page, January 2022.

Gallery

Pier Francesco di Jacopo Foschi Virgen con el Niño y San Juanito col par.jpg, Madonna, child and John the Baptist Oratorio dei bini, ancona di baccio d'agnolo, con pannelli di rossello di jacopo franchi (madonna), maestro di serumido (pietà e predella) e pier francesco foschi (lati).jpg, Oratory ''dei Bini'', lateral panels by Foschi San Barnaba, pier francesco foschi, madonna col bambino e santi.JPG, Madonna, child, and Saints (

San Barnaba, Florence The church of San Barnaba is a small Renaissance-style church in the center of Florence, at the corner of Via Panicale and Via Guelfa. Description Initially built in the 14th century by the Chapter of St. Lawrence, in memory of the June 11, 1289 ...

) Pier francesco foschi, ritratto di giovane.JPG, Portrait of Young Man (Pushkin Museum) Pier francesco foschi, ritratto di andrea del sarto.JPG, Andrea del Sarto (1486–1530) Pier Francesco Foschi Retrato de hombre c1530 Uffizi.jpg, Portrait of Man (Uffizi) Pier Francesco Foschi - Ritratto di un busto uomo che indossa un cappotto nero e cappello.jpg, Portrait of Man with Hat Pier Francesco Foschi - Ritratto di un uomo che scrive.jpg, Portrait of Man Writing Foschi lady.jpg, Portrait of Lady

References

External links

Links to images and information about Foschi at www.artcyclopedia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foschi, Pier Francesco 1502 births 1567 deaths 16th-century people from the Republic of Florence 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Tuscany Italian Mannerist painters