Bathsheba bathing
Franciabigio·1523
Historical Context
Franciabigio painted this Bathsheba Bathing around 1523, one of his rare secular subjects. As Andrea del Sarto's closest collaborator in Florence, Franciabigio typically produced devotional works, making this Old Testament bathing scene an unusual demonstration of his ability with the female nude. The 1520s were a decade of transition, marked by the deaths of Raphael and Leonardo, the shock of the Reformation, and the beginnings of Mannerist experimentation.
Technical Analysis
The panel shows Franciabigio's Florentine technique applied to a rare secular subject, with the smooth modeling and warm palette characteristic of his workshop applied to the classical bathing scene.
