By Anne Leader
Florentine artist Franciabigio died on 14 January, 1525 in his hometown at age 41. A student of Mariotto Albertinelli, Franciabigio is known for his religious scenes and portraits. He also worked with Andrea del Sarto in the first decades of the 16th century, whose influence can be detected in works like his frescoes at Santissima Annunziata and elsewhere. His portraits, like that of a brooding man now in the Louvre, show his familiarity with Raphael, another artist whose career was cut short by an early death. Many see portraiture as Franciabigio’s particular talent. Even though many of his sitters are unknown, the artist was able to portray a sense of familiarity and immediacy, often showing his subjects as if just interrupted by the arrival of the viewer.
Reference: Andrew John Martin. “Franciabigio.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press,http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T029630.
Noli me tangere, 1520-25, fresco. Florence: Museo del Cenacolo di San Salvi
Portrait of a Young Man Writing, 1522. Berlin: Gemäldegalerie
Portrait of a Man, ca. 1510, oil on panel. Paris: Louvre
Betrothal of the Virgin, 1513, fresco, Santissima Annunziata, Florence