---
title: Pietro Perugino
author: Mark Cartwright
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2025-01-28
---

# Pietro Perugino

_Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_

Pietro Perugino (c. 1450-1523), real name Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance artist who created frescoes for the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and was in demand across [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/) to decorate church interiors and produce portraits of the ruling class. Perugino was very often interested in creating a sense of space in his works, especially between the main action in the foreground and precisely rendered examples of [architecture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/architecture/) in the background. The artist's use of space and perspective was influential on many Renaissance artists who followed, notably his one-time pupil [Raphael](https://www.worldhistory.org/Raphael/) (1483-1520).

### Early Life

Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci was born around 1450 in Cittá del Pieve near Perugia, central Italy, hence his more widely known name Pietro Perugino. Born into a humble family, Perugino lived in poverty until he made his name as an artist. It is possible that Perugino studied under the celebrated Umbrian artist [Piero della Francesca](https://www.worldhistory.org/Piero_della_Francesca/) (c. 1420-1492) whose interest in colour and mathematical perspective clearly influenced the apprentice. It also seems likely that Perugino became the assistant of the Florentine artist Andrea del Verrocchio (c. 1435-1488) who also trained such future Renaissance stars as [Leonardo da Vinci](https://www.worldhistory.org/Leonardo_da_Vinci/) (1452-1519). Indeed, Perugino's first appearance in the historical record is in Florence in 1472, then very much the painting capital of Italy.

### The Perugino Style

Perugino's paintings were very different from those of the Florentine artists. The Umbrian artist preferred to place his figures at the front of his pictures with a large space behind leading to precisely drawn examples of architecture in the background. The *Thames and Hudson Dictionary of the Italian Renaissance* gives the following concise summary of what exactly characterised Perugino's work:

> Static, non-dramatic, gently classical in pose and clothed in soft, relatively heavy material falling in simple folds, his figures [mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Mark/) the changeover from mid-century linearity. His pictorial architecture is likewise characterised by uncluttered, [grave](https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/) simplicity and the eschewing of unnecessary details.
> (244)

### The Sistine Chapel

In 1475 CE Perugino was commissioned to paint frescoes in the interior of Perugia's Palazzo Communale. Successfully establishing himself as an artist of note, his reputation spread beyond Umbria and Tuscany. Around 1478, Pope Sixtus IV (r. 1474-1481) commissioned him to create a [fresco](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Fresco/) for [Saint Peter](https://www.worldhistory.org/Saint_Peter/)'s Basilica (the old version) in [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/). The Pope must have been pleased with the results in Saint Peter's because c. 1481 he employed the artist to paint a fresco scene for the right interior [wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/wall/) of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. This was a prestigious commission as the chapel would involve many of the very best of Italy's Renaissance artists. Some historians suggest that Perugino may have overseen the entire decoration project of the chapel.

[ ![Pietro Perugino Portrait](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/12763.jpg?v=1751935808) Pietro Perugino Portrait Raphael (?) (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12763/pietro-perugino-portrait/ "Pietro Perugino Portrait")The Sistine Chapel panel *Delivery of the Keys to Saint Pete*r is a good example of Perugino's love of presenting scenes with a sense of space. In this case, there appears to be acres of space between the foreground figures and the precisely drawn church and triumphal arches behind them. The perspective techniques include the converging lines in the middle ground paving and the smaller size of the figures mid-painting. The precise balance of the picture - seen in the matching arches, the architectural features of the church, and the arrangement of foreground figures - is, if anything, reinforced by the asymmetrical line of trees in the background.

This masterpiece has another interesting facet, the accompanying texts chosen by the artist. Above the fresco and its counterpart on the right (Cosimo Rosselli's *Last Supper*), an inscription reads in a single line across the wall: 'Challenge to [Jesus Christ](https://www.worldhistory.org/Jesus_Christ/), bearer of the [law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/)'. Then, in a reminder of the subservient relationship of Renaissance artists to their illustrious patrons, the two triumphal arches in the fresco carry the following extravagant line of praise: 'You, Sixtus IV, unequal in riches, but superior in wisdom to [Solomon](https://www.worldhistory.org/solomon/), have consecrated this vast [temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/)' (Paoletti, 305).

Perugino also painted a fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel but this would be covered between 1536 and 1541 by [Michelangelo](https://www.worldhistory.org/Michelangelo/)'s own fresco *The Last Judgement*. This was not a unique case, and other artists suffered a similar treatment over the decades of the Renaissance. Fortunately, a drawing of the lost fresco survives, likely made by a member of Perugino's workshop. It shows Pope Sixtus himself kneeling as a donor, offering his decorated chapel to the Virgin while Saint Peter himself touches his shoulder with the key to the gates of Paradise.

[![](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/100x100/12907.jpg?v=1744370355-1739980262)![](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/100x100/12908.jpg?v=1748500756)![](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/100x100/12909.jpg?v=1771007722)![](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/100x100/12906.jpg?v=1748500760)![](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/100x100/12911.jpg?v=1744370465)![](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/100x100/12862.jpg?v=1747526291)](https://www.worldhistory.org/collection/120/a-gallery-of-50-renaissance-paintings/)Image Gallery#### [A Gallery of 50 Renaissance Paintings](https://www.worldhistory.org/collection/120/a-gallery-of-50-renaissance-paintings/)

In this gallery, we present 50 of the most important Renaissance paintings created by the greatest artists from Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441) to Tintoretto... ### The Perugia Workshop

Around 1496 Perugino produced frescoes for the Collegio del Cambio in Perugia. Next there came his *[Crucifixion](https://www.worldhistory.org/crucifixion/) with Saints* for Florence's Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi church. In 1498 he painted a celebrated altarpiece showing the Virgin and Child with Saint Michael and Saint Raphael which is now in the National Gallery in London.

Returning to Perugia, Perugino ran a workshop where young artists were trained, including, from 1499, one future super-star of the Renaissance, Raphael Sanzio. Raphael would adopt his master's interest in creating a sense of space in his paintings and frescoes - see, for example, his 1504 *Marriage of the Virgin* (Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan). Perugino also ran a workshop in Florence contemporary with that in Perugia. In demand across Italy, commissions, especially for portraits, continued to come in from Mantua, Naples, [Orvieto](https://www.worldhistory.org/volsinii/), and Siena. Altarpieces showing the [Virgin Mary](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mary,_Mother_of_Jesus/) and saints were another ever-popular product of Perugino's workshops where he and his assistants produced drawings from real-life models. These drawings - of heads, torsos, various postures, etc. - would then be combined to create a unique set of individuals for each altarpiece design. This efficiency was not so appreciated by art critics, especially the rival Florentines who made fun of Perugino's recycling of the artistic ideas that had brought him so much success earlier in his career. Michelangelo was not impressed with Perugino's work either and called it primitive. The sting was enough for Perugino to go before a magistrate over the matter but this did nothing to improve his reputation.

[ ![Battle Between Love & Chastity by Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/12762.jpg?v=1751935811) Battle Between Love & Chastity by Perugino Web Gallery of Art (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12762/battle-between-love--chastity-by-perugino/ "Battle Between Love & Chastity by Perugino")Sometime between 1500 and 1504 CE, Perugino was given what must have been a most satisfying commission, a painting for the cathedral of his home town. The subject of this work, now in the Musée de Beaux-Arts in Caen, France, is the marriage of Joseph and Mary. It was an entirely appropriate choice as the cathedral's most precious relic was a ring said to have been the very one given to Mary.

### Final Works & [Death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/)

One of the master's last major works was the *[Battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) between Love and Chastity* painting for [Isabella d'Este](https://www.worldhistory.org/Isabella_d'Este/) (1474-1539), wife of Gianfrancesco II Gonzaga (1466-1519), then ruler of Mantua. The work was created between 1503 and 1505 and now resides in the Louvre, [Paris](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/paris/). As with other artists who created paintings for Isabella, Perugino was obliged to follow very precise instructions on the subject matter (a long letter from Isabella survives) and this, also like other artists, resulted in him producing something quite different from his usual work. The painting measures an impressive 1.91 x 1.6 metres (6'3.5” x 5'3”). It shows [Artemis](https://www.worldhistory.org/artemis/)/[Diana](https://www.worldhistory.org/diana/) and [Athena](https://www.worldhistory.org/athena/)/[Minerva](https://www.worldhistory.org/Minerva/), who represent chastity, fighting with success against [Aphrodite](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aphrodite/)/[Venus](https://www.worldhistory.org/venus/) and Cupid, who represent lasciviousness. The scene still has Perugino's preference for a line of characters in the foreground and there is the usual abundance of space behind them but the figures are much more whimsical than previously seen in his work. There is also a noticeable absence of any architecture, Perugino not even being tempted to cross Isabella and add a picturesque ruin to the scene.

In 1508 Perugino was still respected enough to earn a commission to paint roundels (decorative medallions) in the ceiling of the Vatican [Palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/)'s Stanza dell'Incendio. Significantly, though, it was his former pupil Raphael, the new star of [Renaissance art](https://www.worldhistory.org/Renaissance_Art/), that won the more important commission of the wall frescoes in the same room. Working to the very end, Perugino died of the [plague](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/plague/) in Fontignano near Perugia in 1523. Perugino earned a chapter in the celebrated history of Renaissance artists *The Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Architects, Painters, and Sculptors* (1550, revised 1568) by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), although he must settle for sharing that chapter with, who else, the pupil who overshadowed his work in his own lifetime, Raphael.

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## Bibliography

- [Campbell, Fellow in Renaissance Studies Gordon. *The Oxford Illustrated History of the Renaissance.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2021.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0198862660/)
- [Hale, J.R. (ed). *The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of the Italian Renaissance.* Thames & Hudson, 2020.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/B01K0SPLDW/)
- [Paoletti, John T. & Radke, Gary M. *Art in Renaissance Italy.* Pearson, 2011.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0205010474/)
- [Rundle, David. *The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of the Renaissance.* Hodder Arnold, 2000.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1859863329/)
- [Stories of the Italian artists from Vasari : Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/storiesofitalian00vasauoft/page/n227/mode/2up "Stories of the Italian artists from Vasari : Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive"), accessed 16 Sep 2020.
- [Woods, Kim W. *Making Renaissance Art.* Yale University Press, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/030012189X/)

## About the Author

Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share.

## Timeline

- **c. 1450 CE**: The Italian Renaissance artist [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/) is born in Cittá del Pieve near Perugia.
- **c. 1450 CE - 1523 CE**: Life of the Italian Renaissance artist [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/).
- **c. 1481 CE**: The Italian Renaissance artist [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/) paints his [fresco](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Fresco/) Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter in the Sistine Chapel, [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/).
- **c. 1496 CE**: The Italian Renaissance artist [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/) produced frescoes for the Collegio del Cambio in Perugia.
- **1499 CE - 1503 CE**: The Italian Renaissance artist [Raphael](https://www.worldhistory.org/Raphael/) studies in Peruggia under [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/).
- **1503 CE - 1505 CE**: The Italian Renaissance artist [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/) creates his [Battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) between Love and Chastity painting.
- **1508 CE**: The Italian Renaissance painter [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/) is commissioned to paint roundels in the ceiling of the Vatican [Palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/)’s Stanza dell’Incendio.
- **1523 CE**: The Italian Renaissance artist [Pietro Perugino](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/) dies in Fontignano near Perugia.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Cartwright, M. (2020, September 17). Pietro Perugino. *World History Encyclopedia*. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro\_Perugino/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/)
### Chicago
Cartwright, Mark. "Pietro Perugino." *World History Encyclopedia*, September 17, 2020. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro\_Perugino/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/).
### MLA
Cartwright, Mark. "Pietro Perugino." *World History Encyclopedia*, 17 Sep 2020, [https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro\_Perugino/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pietro_Perugino/).

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 17 September 2020. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.