Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Ciocchi del Monte (1461-1533)

This 1513 portrait of Cardinal Antonio Ciocchi del Monte dates from Sebastiano's early years in Rome, when he was establishing himself as a portraitist while competing with Raphael for major commissions. The cardinal portrait format allowed Sebastiano to display the rich crimson of ecclesiastical dress against his characteristically deep, tonal backgrounds. Sebastiano del Piombo's portraits represent one of the most significant contributions to the genre in the sixteenth century, combining the Venetian colorist tradition in which he was trained (under Giorgione and Titian) with the Roman monumental figure style he absorbed through his close friendship and collaboration with Michelangelo. His portraits have a quality of monumental presence unusual in the portrait format: the sitters occupy their space with an authority derived from the sculptural weight of his figure painting. His ability to synthesize the two dominant traditions of Italian Renaissance painting — Venetian color, Roman form — made him one of the most distinctive portrait painters of his generation.

The portrait demonstrates Sebastiano's early Roman style, combining the warm Venetian palette he brought from his training with the structural solidity he was developing under Michelangelo's influence.