Pietro da Cortona

Key facts

Lived

1596–1669, Italian

Movement

• Baroque

Works held in

39 museums^[1]

• Sainte Martine refusant d'adorer les idoles

  Musée Granet

  Aix-en-Provence, France

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap
• St. Mary, little Jesus and st. Katharina

  National Gallery of Armenia

  Yerevan, Armenia

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap
• Noli me Tangere

  Weston Park

  Weston-under-Lizard, United Kingdom

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see Pietro da Cortona →

• What is Pietro da Cortona known for?+

  Pietro da Cortona is known for his painting and architecture, especially his ceiling fresco Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power in the Palazzo Barberini. His fresco was a watershed in illusionistic painting and a model for Baroque ceilings that followed.
• What is Pietro da Cortona's most famous work?+

  Pietro da Cortona, born Pietro Berrettini, was a painter and architect prominent in the Baroque era. While he produced a varied body of work, he is perhaps best known for his large-scale fresco, the *Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII*. Executed between 1633 and 1639 for the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, this ambitious ceiling painting celebrates the Barberini family and Pope Urban VIII. The work employs *di sotto in sù* perspective, creating an illusion that the sky is opening above the viewer. Angels carry the papal tiara and St Peter’s keys, symbols of Urban VIII’s papacy. The composition dissolves mass and gravity with sparkling colours and light. Cortona also completed significant works in Florence, including decorations for the Sala della Stufa in the Palazzo Pitti (1637, 1641), depicting the four ages of man (gold, silver, bronze, and iron). Later, he began work on mythological and allegorical scenes in the Planetary Rooms of the Palazzo Pitti, dedicated to Venus, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
• What should I know about Pietro da Cortona's prints?+

  Pietro da Cortona (1597-1669), born Pietro Berrettini, was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Prints after his paintings offer a glimpse into his dynamic and theatrical style. Cortona began his training in Florence before moving to Rome around 1612. There, he studied with Andrea Commodi and Baccio Ciarpi. Early in his career, the Sacchetti family became important patrons; they commissioned works such as *The Rape of the Sabine Women*. Later, the Barberini family, including Pope Urban VIII, also became significant patrons. Cortona painted frescoes in the Church of St Bibiana (1624-1626) and, most famously, *Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII* (1633-1639) in the Palazzo Barberini. Cortona was elected "prince" of the Accademia di San Luca in 1634. From 1634 to 1638, he led one side of the Cortona/Sacchi Controversy, a series of debates about how history should be represented in art. Cortona advocated for a more theatrical mode, including a multitude of figures and subplots, in contrast to Andrea Sacchi's classicist preference for fewer figures.
• What style or movement did Pietro da Cortona belong to?+

  Pietro da Cortona, born Pietro Berrettini, is associated with the Roman Baroque style. He was active primarily as a painter, but also as an architect. His Baroque style is evident in works such as the ceiling fresco, Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII (1633-1639) in the Palazzo Barberini, Rome. This work uses the di sotto in sù perspective typical of Baroque ceiling decoration. The composition directs the viewer's eye to the centre, where angels carry the papal tiara and keys. The colours and light dissolve any sense of mass. Cortona led a group in debates at the Accademia di San Luca concerning the representation of histories, then considered the highest genre. Cortona's group favoured a theatrical mode of representation, following the precepts of epic poetry. They advocated including many figures and settings, all unified by a common theme. His style contrasted with the classicism of Andrea Sacchi, whose work emphasised clarity and simplicity with fewer figures. Cortona's approach, with its multitude of characters and dynamic energy, distinguishes his contribution to Baroque art.
• What techniques or materials did Pietro da Cortona use?+

  Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) was a significant figure in the development of the High Baroque style. He was active as a painter and architect, and he also designed ephemeral decorations and stage sets. Cortona's painting technique involved extensive preparatory studies. Drawings in red chalk were used to work out compositions. Oil sketches explored colour relationships. The final paintings often have a warm tonality, achieved through layering glazes. His frescoes used the *buon fresco* method, applying pigment to wet plaster. This required speed and precision. In architecture, Cortona favoured dramatic effects of light and shadow. He often employed stucco decoration and the *trompe-l'oeil* technique to create illusions of depth and movement. The facade of Santi Luca e Martina (1635-1669) in Rome demonstrates his sculptural approach to architectural design. He manipulated classical elements in a free and expressive manner. His work in all media aimed at a synthesis of the arts.
• What was Pietro da Cortona known for?+

  Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. He is known for his decorative schemes and illusionistic ceiling frescoes. Born Pietro Berrettini in Cortona, Tuscany, he trained in Florence with Andrea Commodi. His early works reveal the influence of Andrea del Sarto and the Florentine classicist tradition. Da Cortona moved to Rome around 1612, where he studied antique sculpture and the paintings of Raphael. He secured patronage from prominent Roman families, including the Sacchetti and Barberini. His fresco paintings in the Palazzo Barberini, particularly the ceiling of the Gran Salone (1633-1639), are among his most celebrated achievements. This vast composition, the "Triumph of Divine Providence", combines illusionistic perspective with allegorical figures to glorify the Barberini family. He also completed significant fresco cycles in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, and the Chiesa Nuova, Rome. As an architect, da Cortona designed several important buildings, such as Santi Luca e Martina in the Roman Forum. His architectural style is characterised by its dramatic use of light and shadow, as well as its incorporation of Baroque sculptural elements. Da Cortona's work had a major impact on the development of Baroque art and architecture in Italy and beyond.
• Where was Pietro da Cortona from?+

  Pietro da Cortona, also known as Pietro Berrettini, was Italian. He was born in the city of Cortona, Tuscany, in 1596. Cortona is a hill town in the province of Arezzo. He received his artistic training in Florence. Later, he moved to Rome, where he spent a significant portion of his career. Although based in Rome, he maintained ties to his birthplace. He frequently received commissions from patrons in Tuscany and Florence. His origins in Cortona gave him his artistic name. It was common practice to identify artists by their birthplace during this period. Other examples include Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio. The "da" indicates origin, and Cortona became his identifying name. He died in Rome in 1669.
• Who did Pietro da Cortona influence?+

  Pietro da Cortona, a painter and architect, created an individual style that influenced other artists. Cortona's work decorating the Palazzo Barberini (begun in 1633) won him the title of 'prince' of the Accademia di San Luca. His influence is apparent in ceiling paintings of the Palazzo Pitti, where he combined paintings with stucco, including life-size figures. Charles Le Brun imitated this scheme in the Galerie d’Apollon of the Louvre and the Grand Appartement at Versailles. Cortona's influence extended to church decoration. His vault of the Chiesa Nuova (1663-64) emulates the richness of carved wooden ceilings he saw in Venice. Unlike earlier frescoes, Cortona's covers three bays instead of one. His visit to Venice also influenced his ecclesiastical decorations in Rome. Cortona's style impacted Baroque interior decor, and his work served as a stylistic reference point.
• Who influenced Pietro da Cortona?+

  Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) absorbed a range of influences that shaped his distinctive Baroque style. Early on, he studied painting with Andrea Commodi in Florence, where he learned principles of Florentine disegno. Moving to Rome around 1612, Cortona encountered the classical and Renaissance art that would become central to his aesthetic. He studied antique sculpture and the paintings of Raphael, integrating their compositional harmony and figurative grace into his own work. The influence of the Venetian School, particularly the colourism of Titian and Veronese, is also apparent in Cortona's paintings. Additionally, Cortona was responsive to the work of his contemporaries. He knew the Bolognese classicism of artists like Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni. Although Cortona developed a more dynamic and theatrical style than either, their emphasis on idealised form and clarity of narrative provided a foundation for his artistic development. His fusion of these diverse influences resulted in the development of a personal Baroque idiom, characterised by energetic compositions, illusionistic effects, and a decorative flair.
• Who was Pietro da Cortona?+

  Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) was an Italian architect and painter. Born Pietro Berrettini in Cortona, Tuscany, he trained in Florence with Andrea Commodi. By 1612, he had moved to Rome. His early Roman work included frescoes for the church of San Gregorio Magno and paintings such as "The Rape of the Sabines". These gained him notice among important Roman families. The Sacchetti family were early patrons, and he received commissions from the Barberini family after Maffeo Barberini became Pope Urban VIII in 1623. Da Cortona's painted work is associated with the High Baroque style. He employed illusionistic perspective and grand allegorical narratives. His best-known paintings include the ceiling fresco in the Palazzo Barberini gran salone (1633-1639) and the decoration of the Gallery of Alexander VII in the Palazzo Quirinale (1655-1657). He also painted for churches, including significant work at Santa Maria in Vallicella (the Chiesa Nuova). As an architect, da Cortona altered the facade of Santi Luca e Martina in the Roman Forum. He also designed the Villa del Pigneto, later called Villa Falconieri, in Frascati.
• What was Pietro da Cortona's art style?+

  Pietro da Cortona created an individual style, distinct from those of Bernini and Borromini. From 1634 to 1638, theoretical debates were held in the Accademia di San Luca regarding the proper representation of histories, and these debates became known as the Cortona/Sacchi Controversy.
• When was Pietro da Cortona born?+

  Pietro da Cortona was born in 1596 in Italy. Pietro da Cortona died in 1669, aged 73.