Domenico Beccafumi

Mannerist painter Domenico Beccafumi (1486-1551) became the leading artist of Siena during the High Renaissance, creating works characterized by vibrant colors and elegant, elongated figures. Born as the son of a peasant, he was adopted by Lorenzo Beccafumi, whose name he took. His paintings feature what critics call "chromatic lyricism," an approach to color that gives his figures an almost supernatural glow. Major works include the frescoes in Siena's city hall and his extensive pavement designs for the Siena Cathedral.

Beccafumi studied under Mechero in Siena before traveling to Rome in 1509, where he absorbed the work of Raphael and Michelangelo at the Vatican. While influenced by these masters, his style remained distinctly Sienese, with eccentric color choices and fluid compositions that anticipated later Mannerist developments. From 1518 to 1546, he designed Old Testament scenes for the marble pavement of Siena Cathedral, one of the most ambitious decorative projects of the Italian Renaissance. He also worked in bronze, creating angels for the cathedral. The Pinacoteca of Siena holds the largest collection of his paintings, with additional works at the Pitti Palace in Florence. He's considered among the last great representatives of the Sienese school that began with Duccio.