Francis had great reason to emphasize his wealth and magnanimity. For years he had been at war with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, a gamble that continued to go poorly for the French king.
Mannerism in Europe
With a complex, multi-figure composition, this monumental sculpture captures a moment from ancient Roman history.
Giambologna, Abduction of a Sabine Woman
Female painters were rare in sixteenth-century Italy. In self-portraits, Sofonisba made sure to appear virtuous.
Sofonisba Anguissola
Forget mythology—Cellini makes his skill the subject. Defying skeptics, he cast this upright bronze without flaw.
Benvenuto Cellini, Perseus with the Head of ...
Riddle me this. Bronzino’s allegorical painting is one of the most disturbing and curious in all of art history.
Bronzino, An Allegory with Venus and Cupid
Without historical sources, what gives an artist authority to depict the divine? Gossaert channels St. Luke.
Jan Gossaert, Saint Luke Painting the Madonna
Time collapses in this ambitious painting. As the Greeks battle the Persians, the West fends off the Ottoman East.
Albrecht Altdorfer, The Battle of Issus
What a show-off! Hoping to win a papal commission, the confident young painter foregrounds his hand—and his skill.
Parmigianino, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror
This altarpiece lacks setting and symbols, but it’s hardly empty. Moving figures fill the space.
Jacopo Pontormo, Entombment (or Deposition from the ...
Rosso plays fast and loose with tradition, manipulating Christ’s body and transcending High Renaissance strictures.
Rosso Fiorentino, The Dead Christ with Angels
Mother and son gaze out with an aristocratic aloofness, yet they lack an inner life. Is all that brocade a shell?
Bronzino, Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with ...
What happened? In this twist on Renaissance art, Parmigianino distorts human anatomy to absurd effect.
Parmigianino, Madonna of the Long Neck
Wild! Everything seems transient in this otherworldly scene, but El Greco’s bold colors stay with us.
El Greco, Adoration of the Shepherds
The hard, porcelain-like faces of Bronzino’s young men aren’t the only masks in these paintings.
Bronzino and the Mannerist Portrait
Is that a Van Gogh? Centuries ahead of its time, this radical cityscape captures external and internal conflict.
El Greco, View of Toledo
One of art history’s most famous paintings, this scene remains mysterious. Are we outside at night, or in a chapel?
El Greco, Burial of the Count Orgaz
Mother and son gaze out with an aristocratic aloofness, yet they lack an inner life. Is all that brocade a shell?
Bronzino, Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo with ...
Look at those bodies! Over-elaborate distortion, or skillful elongation? No need to judge—just call it “Mannerist.”
A beginner’s guide to Mannerism
This composition is bold and original. Front and center, a meat stall steals the spotlight from a religious scene.
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