Pope Paul III with a Nephew

This Pope Paul III with a Nephew by Sebastiano del Piombo, painted in 1534 and held in the Galleria Nazionale di Parma, depicts Alessandro Farnese, who had just been elected pope as Paul III in October 1534. Paul III would prove to be one of the most consequential popes of the sixteenth century, convening the Council of Trent and commissioning Michelangelo's Last Judgment. The nephew shown is likely one of the Farnese grandsons whom Paul III shamelessly promoted — a practice of nepotism that was standard in the Renaissance papacy. Sebastiano's portrait captures the new pope at the beginning of his momentous pontificate.

The double portrait format creates a dynamic interplay between the powerful pope and his attendant nephew, establishing a hierarchy of authority through scale and placement. Sebastiano's rich tonal modeling and warm palette lend the figures a physical presence that combines Venetian atmospheric warmth with the sculptural gravitas of his Roman manner.