Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 30 works by Franciabigio in our catalogue
In short
Portrait of a Man (1510) is the Franciabigio painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the The Louvre, Paris. After it, the eye goes to Noli me tangere (1520) and Mary from the Annunciation (1510). Among the 30 works of Franciabigio in our catalog, these 30 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
In the quiet intensity of Franciabigio’s Portrait of a Man, we encounter more than just a mere likeness; we are invited into a profound meditation on human presence and the subtle complexities of the Renaissance spirit. Painted around 1510, this masterpiece serves as a captivating window into an era where the boundaries between the physical world and the psychological landscape began to dissolve. The subject, a young man of poised…
The fresco depicts Jesus Christ with arms outstretched, positioned within a landscape of green grass and distant trees. Two figures occupy the immediate space around him: one person kneels before him, while another stands behind. The scene is populated by several other individuals scattered throughout the composition, some situated in the foreground and others in the background. Above the assembly, a single bird flies through the sky. The arrangement of…
The air in the small, architectural space feels heavy with a sudden, holy stillness. To the right, Mary leans into the moment, her body caught in a subtle, twisting movement that breaks the stillness of a traditional pose. She is a figure of quiet reverence, her profile turned toward a white dove descending from the upper left. This celestial visitor, representing the Holy Spirit, glides through a cool, muted blue-green…
A single man emerges from a void of deep, shadowy tones, his presence felt through the quiet intensity of his stare. He sits slightly off-center, his body turned toward us, yet his eyes remain fixed directly upon the observer, creating an immediate, intimate connection. The light falls from the upper left, carving the contours of his face with a sharp, directional clarity. This light catches the bridge of his nose…
In this three-quarter view, we encounter a young man caught in a moment of profound introspection. He is positioned slightly off-center, his gaze directed away from us, as if lost in a private thought that we are merely permitted to observe. The lighting, descending from the upper left, carves the contours of his face with a gentle precision, casting soft shadows that define the bridge of his nose and the…
The composition is anchored by a stable pyramidal structure, a hallmark of High Renaissance balance. At the center, the Madonna sits with a serene presence, her form defined by soft contours and the gentle interplay of light and shadow. She is draped in deep blues and crimson reds, colors that provide a weight to her figure against the naturalistic greens of the background. Beside her, the Christ Child and a…
The composition centers on a moment of sudden, heavy realization within a structured architectural space. A male figure stands on the right, his body angled toward a woman on the left. He wears a muted teal tunic paired with pinkish-red hosiery, his hand gripping a sword that creates a sharp diagonal line across the center of the frame. The woman is dressed in a deep forest green gown, her posture…
We are looking at The Canonization of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, a work executed by the Florentine painter Franciabigio. This piece dates to 1515, a period when the artist was active in the heart of the Italian Renaissance. His true name may have been Francesco di Cristofano, though he is most frequently recognized by the name Franciabigio.
We are looking at Holy Family in a Landscape, a work from 1520. This painting is attributed to the Florentine artist Franciabigio, whose full name was Francesco di Cristofano, gen. Franciabigio. It is a significant example of the High Renaissance style, captured during a period of profound transition in Italian art.
A sudden movement breaks the stillness of the stone ledge. An angel leans into the frame, caught in the middle of a divine arrival. The figure is a swirl of coral and warm pink, the heavy folds of the robes catching a light that spills from the upper right. These garments billow with a rhythmic energy, tracing the curve of a great, dark wing that sweeps through the composition. In…
St Nicholas of Tolentino performing a Miracle1517 · Ashmolean Museum
12
Portrait of a Jeweler1516
13
St. Bartholomew1515 · Museo di Capodimonte
14
The Triumph of Cicero1520 · Villa Medici
15
The Last Supper1514 · Convento della Calza
16
Angel1515 · Santo Spirito
17
Madonna with Child and the Young St John1518 · Liechtenstein Museum
18
Virgin and Child with Sts John the Baptist and Job1516 · Museo di San Salvi
19
Portrait of a Man1517 · Liechtenstein Museum
20
Portrait of a Man1522 · Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
21
Portrait of a ManDetroit Institute of Arts
22
Portrait of Jacopo CenniniRoyal Collection
23
Portrait of a Man in a Black HatBowes Museum
24
Madonna with Child1514 · Hermitage Museum
25
Head of the Madonna1509 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
26
Madonna and Christ ChildBirmingham Museum of Art
27
Portrait of a Knight of RhodesNational Gallery
28
Madonna of the Well or Madonna and Child with the young St. John the Baptist1517
29
Bathsheba bathing1523 · Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
30
Betrothal of the Virgin1513 · Santissima Annunziata
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Franciabigio | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 National Museum in Warsaw |
Warsaw | 2 | Mary from the Annunciation, Angel from the Annunciation |
 Detroit Institute of Arts |
Detroit | 2 | Portrait of a Man, Portrait of a Man |
 Kunsthistorisches Museum |
Vienna | 2 | Madonna and Child with John the Baptist, Holy Family in a Landscape |
 Liechtenstein Museum |
Vienna | 2 | Madonna with Child and the Young St John, Portrait of a Man |
 The Louvre |
Paris | 1 | Portrait of a Man |
 Museo del Cenacolo di San Salvi |
Florence | 1 | Noli me tangere |
 National Museum of Ancient Art |
Lisbon | 1 | Retrato de Homem |
 Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Philadelphia | 1 | Saint Julian the Hospitaler Meeting His Wife after Killing His Parents |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
A single man emerges from a void of deep, shadowy tones, his presence felt through the quiet intensity of his stare. He sits slightly off-center, his body turned toward us, yet his eyes remain fixed directly upon the observer, creating an immediate, intimate connection. The light falls from the upper left, carving the contours of his face with a sharp, directional clarity. This light catches the bridge of his nose…
In the quiet intensity of Franciabigio’s Portrait of a Man, we encounter more than just a mere likeness; we are invited into a profound meditation on human presence and the subtle complexities of the Renaissance spirit. Painted around 1510, this masterpiece serves as a captivating window into an era where the boundaries between the physical world and the psychological landscape began to dissolve. The subject, a young man of poised…
The fresco depicts Jesus Christ with arms outstretched, positioned within a landscape of green grass and distant trees. Two figures occupy the immediate space around him: one person kneels before him, while another stands behind. The scene is populated by several other individuals scattered throughout the composition, some situated in the foreground and others in the background. Above the assembly, a single bird flies through the sky. The arrangement of…
Portrait of a Man (1510), The Louvre, Paris. Noli me tangere (1520) and Mary from the Annunciation (1510) come next.
26 years old: Portrait of a Man dates from 1510, and Franciabigio was born in 1484.
Portrait of a Man, Noli me tangere, Mary from the Annunciation, Retrato de Homem, Portrait of a Man, Madonna and Child with John the Baptist, Saint Julian the Hospitaler Meeting His Wife after Killing His Parents, The Canonization of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, Holy Family in a Landscape and Angel from the Annunciation. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 30 works by Franciabigio, dated from 1501 to 1523.
Mostly in National Museum in Warsaw (Warsaw), Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit) and Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1510s: 17 of the 30 works on this page were made then, Portrait of a Man among them.
On this page, the earliest is Retrato de Homem (1501) and the latest Bathsheba bathing (1523).
Man (8), Woman (6) and Portrait (5), across the 30 works on this page.
Oil On Panel, for 14 of the 30 works on this page.
High renaissance and Renaissance, judging by the originals on this page.
Mary from the Annunciation and Angel from the Annunciation: the National Museum in Warsaw, Warsaw holds 2 of the works on this page.
In the golden era of the High Renaissance, amidst the bustling workshops and marble-clad streets of Florence, there lived a painter whose brush captured the very essence of human emotion. Franciabigio, born Francesco di Cristofano around 1482, was not merely a chronicler of faces but a master of the psychological landscape. While history often shines its brightest light upon the monumental figures of his era, Franciabigio carved out a singular niche through his ability to infuse portraiture with a palpable, breathing naturalism. His life, though relatively brief—concluding in January 1525—was a testament to the vibrant, evolving spirit of Florentine art, bridging the gap between the balanced perfection of the High Renaissance and the expressive tension of the emerging Mannerist style.
The foundations of his artistry were laid under the guidance of Alberto Altramonte, but it was his transition into the studio of Andrea del Sarto around 1506 that would fundamentally reshape his creative trajectory. This period of apprenticeship and subsequent partnership became a cornerstone of his career. Together, they established a workshop in the Piazza del Gradino, creating a crucible of innovation that drew in other luminaries such as Rosso Fiorentino and Pontormo. Within this collaborative atmosphere, Franciabigio refined a technique that favored the delicate nuances of light and shadow, learning to navigate the complex interplay of color and form that defined the Sarto school.
While many of his contemporaries sought glory through massive religious altarpieces or grand mythological cycles, Franciabigio found his greatest triumph in the demanding medium of fresco. He possessed a rare dexterity for this technique, earning a reputation that often surpassed his peers in the execution of wall paintings. His skill lay not just in the technical application of pigment to wet plaster, but in his ability to use the expansive surface of a fresco to convey profound narrative depth. In the Cloister of Santa Maria della Annunziata, his contributions alongside Andrea del Sarto demonstrate a sophisticated command over composition and atmosphere.
However, it is perhaps in his portraiture that his true genius resides. Moving away from the rigid, idealized archetypes common in earlier decades, Franciabigio embraced a more intimate approach to the human subject. His portraits are characterized by:
The historical significance of Franciabigio lies in his role as a vital link in the evolution of Italian painting. He stood at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, absorbing the classical harmony of Raphael while pushing toward the more experimental, emotive boundaries that would define the later 16th century. Though some of his most ambitious projects were overshadowed by the monumental achievements of his mentor, del Sarto, his individual voice remains unmistakable to the discerning eye.
To study a work by Franciabigio is to witness a moment of transition captured in pigment. He reminds us that the history of art is not only written by those who commanded the largest stages, but by those who possessed the sensitivity to capture the quiet, flickering truths of the human condition. His legacy survives in every nuanced expression and every masterful stroke of fresco, serving as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of the Florentine Renaissance.
