Franciabigio (1482 – 24 January 1525) was anItalianpainter of the FlorentineRenaissance. His true name may have beenFrancesco di Cristofano; he is also referred to as eitherMarcantonio Franciabigio orFrancia Bigio.
He was born in Florence, and initially worked underAlbertinelli until about 1506. In 1505 he befriendedAndrea del Sarto; and by the next year, the two painters set up common shop in the Piazza del Grano. Franciabigio paid much attention toanatomy andperspective, and to the proportions of his figures, though these are often squat in form. He had a large stock of artistic knowledge, and was at first noted for diligence. He was proficient infresco andVasari claimed that he surpassed all his contemporaries in this method.[1] It is in his portraits, and not his religious paintings and frescoes, that his painting gathers naturalistic power.
As years went on, and he received frequent commissions for all sorts of public painting for festive occasions, his diligence seemed to wane.[1]
In 1513, in the cloister of theAnnunziata he frescoed theMarriage of the Virgin, part of a larger series mainly directed by Andrea del Sarto, and overshadowed by the latter's masterpiece ofBirth of the Virgin.[2] Other artists working under Sarto at the cloister includedRosso Fiorentino,Pontormo,Francesco Indaco, andBaccio Bandinelli.[3]
In 1514, he frescoed aMantegnesqueLast Supper for the Convento della Calza in Florence.[5] In 1518-19, at the Convento della Salzo, in another series of frescoes on which Andrea was likewise employed, he executed theDeparture of John the Baptist for the Desert, and theMeeting of the Baptist with Jesus.[1]
In 1520–21, at the villaMedici atPoggio a Caiano he frescoed a turgidTriumph of Cicero on the walls of the salon, but again he is overshadowed by Potormo's naturalistic lunette ofVertumnus and Pomona. The array of figures appears distraught rather than celebratory, the antique details are a melange of quotations, and the architect a fancy ofQuattrocento style.[6] He painted aSt Job altarpiece (1516, Uffizi).
In the early 1520s, Franciabigio also paintedMadonna and Christ Child, a composition that highlightsRaphael Sanzio's influence. Scholars note this painting's significance in illustratingnaturalism.[7]
Various works which have been ascribed toRaphael are reasonably deemed to be by Franciabigio. Such as theMadonna del Pozzo, with its awkwardly muscular John the Baptist;[8] and some of his portraits, including the half figure of aYoung Man. These two works show a close analogy in style to another in the Pitti gallery, avowedly by Franciabigio, aYouth at a Window, and to some others—which bear this painter's recognized monogram.[1]
For a number of years, Franciabigio maintained the studio with Andrea. Together with Andrea’s student, Jacopo da Pontormo, they decorated the Medici villa at Poggio a Caiano, where Franciabigio’s Triumph of Caesar displays his talent for narrative painting. Andrea’s influence on Franciabigio may be seen in the dark, smoky background and the soft, dramatic lighting of the St. Job Altar (1516).
The series of portraits, taken collectively, placed beyond dispute the eminent and idiosyncratic genius of the master. Two other works of his, of some celebrity, are theCalumny of Apelles, in thePitti Palace, and theBath ofBathsheba (painted in 1523), in theDresden gallery.[1]
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When compared to his younger contemporary colleague, del Sarto, Franciabigio appears more sculptural and less forward-looking. TheQuattrocento monumentality (or stiffness) of posing is evident in his figures. Franciabigio attends more to linearity and balance in fresco recallingMassacio, while Sarto's paintings reflect an understanding that characterizes Venetian work, and the development of sway that will "mannerize" art in the decades to come.
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Franciabigio".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 933.
Media related toFranciabigio at Wikimedia Commons
