Sebastiano del Piombo

orig. Sebastiano Luciani

(born c. 1485, Venice, Republic of Venice—died July 21, 1547, Rome, Papal States) Italian painter. While in Venice, he was highly influenced by his teacher, Giorgione. In 1511 he moved to Rome and became a member of Michelangelo's circle of Renaissance artists. Michelangelo thought so highly of him that he provided sketches for him to execute. In Sebastiano's Pietà (1513), Flagellation (1516–24), and Raising of Lazarus (1516–18), all based on Michelangelo's sketches, he combined the warm colouring of the Venetian school with Michelangelo's anatomical clarity and firm sculptural drawing. After Raphael's death, Sebastiano's reputation as a portraitist was unparalleled. In 1531 Pope Clement VII, the subject of one of his finest portraits (1526), appointed him keeper of the papal seal; his nickname derives from the fact that the seal was of lead (Italian, piombo). The lucrative post gave him financial security, and his output declined.

Find more information on Sebastiano del Piombo. Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on Sebastiano del Piombo.