Sebastiano del Piombo
Art, Friendship and Sacred Innovation
Piers Baker-BatesA fresh reassessment of a neglected master of the Italian Renaissance
Sebastiano del Piombo was one of the most accomplished and innovative artists of the Italian Renaissance, yet his achievements have long been overshadowed by his friendship and collaboration with Michelangelo. This accessible and up-to-date account of Sebastiano del Piombo’s life and work offers a fresh reassessment of an artist whose paintings rank among the masterpieces of sixteenth-century art. From Venice to Rome and beyond to Spain, the book traces his career, examining celebrated works such as The Raising of Lazarus while revealing the distinctive vision that set him apart from his contemporaries. It considers his pioneering experiments with painting on stone and the religious ideas that shaped his art. Sebastiano del Piombo emerges as a central figure of the Renaissance, deserving renewed attention in his own right.
Piers Baker-Bates is Visiting Research Associate at the Open University. His books include Sebastiano del Piombo and the World of Spanish Rome (2016) and Artistic Exchanges between Spain and Italy, 1516–1621 (2024).