BECCAFUMI, DOMENICO. - Painter, b. around 1486 in the Val di Siena (Siena), d. in Siena in May 1551. He showed himself open to the influences of the masters of his time from his earliest works, linked to the manners of Fra Bartolomeo and of Mariotto Albertinelli: for example, the fresco for the chapel of the Manto in the hospital of Siena, of 1512. In those immediately following (the Trinity of 1514 and the Stigmata of St. Catherine of 1515, both in the picture gallery of Siena) the Peruginesque influences are evident; in the St. Paul, also of 1515, B. defined his personality as a Mannerist even more clearly. Two years later he began, together with Sodoma and with Gerolamo del Pacchia, the decoration of the chapel of St. Bernardino in Siena, completing in 1518 the two frescoes depicting the Spessilinio and the Transit of the Virgin, interesting for the flowing linearism of the composition. He then painted the panel of the Nativity, in the church of St. Martin, also in Siena, in which contributions from the art of Raphael predominate, whose works B. had come to know during his stay in Rome, between 1510 and 1512. Having become official painter of the Republic of Siena, he decorated in fresco a ceiling of the house of Marcello Agostini (later Bindi-Sergardi); this work, for the dazzling richness of its colors, for its unusual architectural backgrounds and for its studied perspective effects, is deservedly held among his best.
Of 1528 is the Marriage of St. Catherine with the Madonna and Eight Saints (Siena, Chigi-Saraoni gallery); two saints bear the imprint of the art of Fra Bartolomeo, while in the Madonna the influence of Raphael is recognized. In 1529 B. received the commission to decorate the hall of the Concistoro in the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena, a work finished after six years; this work, besides a marked pictorial value, has great documentary importance, since through the various scenes episodes of the city's history are allegorically recalled. In 1537 he executed the famous painting of St. Michael for the church of the Carmine, under the influence of Michelangelo, yet transformed through his contemplative Sienese spirit.
Between 1538 and 1539 he painted for the works of the cathedral of Pisa the Golden Calf and the Punishment of Dathan and Abiram and the Four Evangelists; a year later he began the frescoes for the tribune of the cathedral of Siena (finished in 1544) which testify to the attainment of his complete artistic maturity. In 1541 he went to Genoa, where he collaborated with Perin del Vaga in the decoration of the Palazzo
Doria. Having returned to Siena, he painted (1543) the Nativity of the Madonna for the convent of St. Paul, notable for the construction of the figures in geometric planes and for the resplendent richness of the colors.
B. was one of the first Tuscan Mannerists. The bizarre and extravagant composition, the strong contrasts of light and shadow, the continual mutability of the color, highly sensitive to light and to formal elements, constitute the fundamental attributes of his artistic physiognomy.
He, moreover, took part in the completion of the graffiti of the pavement of the cathedral of Siena, beginning the work in 1517 and continuing it throughout the rest of his life.
A versatile artist, he also executed banners, works of temporary architecture, decorations, etc.; his last work was the bronze angels for the cathedral of Siena. - See Pl. LXXI.
Bibliography7 works
Maria Gibellino-Krasceninnicowa