Death of Lucretia

Il Sodoma (Giovanni Antonio Bazzi), a painter of Piedmontese origin active primarily in Siena, depicted the Death of Lucretia around 1515. Known for his flamboyant personality and his mastery of Leonardo's sfumato technique learned during his early career in Milan, Sodoma became the most important painter in Siena alongside Domenico Beccafumi. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique. The Italian Renaissance context brought a new emphasis on classical antiquity, mathematical perspective, and the idealization of the human figure that transformed European art.

The panel shows Sodoma's characteristic Leonardesque softness combined with Sienese decorative grace, rendering Lucretia's dramatic gesture with the sensual elegance that marked his classical subjects.