Bishop Altobello Averoldo
c. 1505
Medium
oil on poplar panel
Dimensions
painted surface: 52.8 × 40 cm (20 13/16 × 15 3/4 in.) overall (with unpainted edges): 54 × 40.8 cm (21 1/4 × 16 1/16 in.) framed: 73.34 × 60.64 × 5.4 cm (28 7/8 × 23 7/8 × 2 1/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-R
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1952.5.64
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This elegant portrait by Francesco Francia captures Bishop Altobello Averoldo around 1505, during the height of the Italian Renaissance. Francia, a leading painter from Bologna, was for his refined portraits and works that blended delicate with a sense of quiet dignity. The sitter’s composed expression and richly rendered garments reflect the artist’s skill in conveying both personal authority and spiritual presence. Painted in oil on a poplar panel, the work showcases the medium’s capacity for subtle modeling and luminous color—techniques that allowed Renaissance artists to achieve remarkable realism and depth. The compact scale suggests it may have served as a private devotional image or an official record of the bishop’s position within the church hierarchy. Now part of the National Gallery of Art’s Samuel H. Kress Collection, the painting offers visitors a vivid glimpse into early sixteenth-century ecclesiastical culture and the refined artistic traditions of Bologna.
About the Artist
Francesco Francia · 1447–1517
Influential Bolognese painter of his period, noted for sweet, softly rounded Madonnas and portraits. Influenced by Costa, his partner, and by Perugino. Comment on works: Religious