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Painter, 1454 to 1513

Pinturicchio

Pinturicchio painted like a goldsmith: every surface patterned, every ceiling studded. Rome's churches and the Borgia pope gave him walls to fill.

A room of the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican, its vault and walls covered with Pinturicchio's gilded frescoes.
Fabrizio Garrisi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Born
1454, Perugia, Italy
Died
1513, Siena, Italy
Movement
Early Renaissance
In Rome
3 works in 3 museums

Where to see Pinturicchio in Rome

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

Vatican Museums1 work

  1. A room of the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican, its vault and walls covered with Pinturicchio's gilded frescoes.

    The Borgia Apartments

    1492 to 1494

    Six rooms painted for Pope Alexander VI, with saints, sibyls and the Borgia bull on every vault. The pope himself kneels in the scene of the Resurrection. The rooms now also hold part of the modern art collection.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli1 work

  1. The Bufalini Chapel in Santa Maria in Aracoeli, frescoed by Pinturicchio with the life of St Bernardino.

    The Bufalini Chapel

    about 1484 to 1486

    The life of St Bernardino of Siena, in the first chapel on the right of the church at the top of the Capitoline steps. Free to enter.

Santa Maria del Popolo1 work

  1. The vault of the choir

    1508 to 1510

    The Coronation of the Virgin with evangelists and sibyls, on the ceiling behind the high altar.

The life of Pinturicchio

Bernardino di Betto was born in Perugia around 1454 and was known by a nickname, the little painter. He worked beside Perugino in the Sistine Chapel and stayed in Rome for years afterwards, painting chapels for cardinals.

Between 1492 and 1494 he decorated the rooms of Pope Alexander VI, the Borgia pope. He ended his career in Siena, where he painted the library of the cathedral, and died there in 1513.

What to know

  • Decorated the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican
  • Painted the Piccolomini Library in Siena
  • Worked in Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome
Born
About 1454, Perugia, Italy
Died
11 December 1513, Siena, Italy

Pinturicchio: common questions

Where can you see Pinturicchio in Rome?
At the Vatican Museums: The Borgia Apartments. At Santa Maria in Aracoeli: The Bufalini Chapel. At Santa Maria del Popolo: The vault of the choir. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is Pinturicchio's most famous work in Rome?
The Borgia Apartments, of 1492 to 1494, at the Vatican Museums. Six rooms painted for Pope Alexander VI, with saints, sibyls and the Borgia bull on every vault. The pope himself kneels in the scene of the Resurrection. The rooms now also hold part of the modern art collection.
When and where was Pinturicchio born?
About 1454, at Perugia, Italy. Pinturicchio died on 11 December 1513, at Siena, Italy, aged about 59.
What is Pinturicchio known for?
Decorated the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican. Painted the Piccolomini Library in Siena. Worked in Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome. Pinturicchio was an Italian painter, of the Early Renaissance.

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