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Sebastiano del Piombo (artist) Italian, 1485 - 1547 Cardinal Bandinello Sauli, His Secretary, and Two Geographers, 1516 oil on panel Overall: 121.8 x 150.4 cm (47 15/16 x 59 3/16 in.) framed: 153.7 x 181.6 x 10.2 cm (60 1/2 x 71 1/2 x 4 in.) Samuel H. Kress Collection 1961.9.37 On View |
One of the earliest Italian group portraits, this painting depicts Cardinal Bandinello Sauli and three companions gathered around a table covered with a Turkish carpet. Set within a narrow space closed off by a rich green wall hanging, the figures appear to have been discussing the geography manuscript lying open before them.
Bandinello Sauli of Genoa was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Julius II in 1511. In 1516, when this painting was completed, Sauli was at the height of his prestige and influence in Rome. His fortunes quickly changed, for he was imprisoned in 1517 for plotting against Pope Leo X.
The artist, Sebastiano Luciani, is better known as Sebastiano del Piombo from his appointment in 1531 to the office of Keeper of the Papal Seal, or piombo. Probably born in Venice, his earliest artistic influences were undoubtedly Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione. The portrait of Sauli and his companions, with its varying shades of red, green, white, and black, reflects the Venetian love of resonant color. In 1511 Sebastiano moved to Rome to study the works of the High Renaissance artists there. The solidity and clarity of his life-sized figures reveal in particular the impact of Michelangelo, who befriended the young Venetian shortly after his arrival. Remaining in Rome until 1527, Sebastiano became one of the most sought after portraitists in the city.