Osservazioni sulla tecnica di Sebastiano del Piombo

The portrait presented in this brief article is an important addition to our knowledge of works painted by Sebastiano del Piombo on stone, a support the Venetian artist favoured from 1530 onwards, and which he used to paint several famous portraits, only some of which have come down to us; the work thus also offers invaluable evidence of his pictorial technique. Analysis made in the light of the latest scholarship and comparison with other paintings by him on stone, confirms Sebastiano’s experimental approach as well as his commitment to a highly personal formal language, distinguished by the use of the very light glazes and highly refined colour harmonies.