Piero del Pollaiolo

Portrait of a Girl by Piero del Pollaiolo, at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan.

Piero del Pollaiolo (c. 1443 – 1496), also known as Piero Benci, was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. His brother was the artist Antonio del Pollaiolo and the two frequently worked together. Their work shows both classical influences and an interest in human anatomy; reportedly, the brothers carried out dissections to improve their knowledge of the subject.

He died in Rome in 1496.

Giorgio Vasari includes a biography of Pollaiolo in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects.

Works

• Three Saints (1467–68) - altarpiece
• Portrait of a woman (c.1470)
• Portrait of Galeazzo Maria Sforza (c.1471) - tempera on wood
• Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (completed 1475) - oil on wood
• Coronation of the Virgin (1483) - altar-piece painted in the choir of the cathedral at San Gimignano
• Profile of a Young Woman (c. 1465) - oil on wood
• 7 Virtues (6 painted by Pollaiolo):

  Charity

  Faith

  Temperance

  Prudence

  Hope

  Justice

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piero Pollaiuolo.

• Biography on the Web Gallery of Art
• Extensive biography of Antonio and Piero del Pollaiolo
• Piero del Pollaiolo at Panopticon Virtual Art Gallery
• Italian Paintings: Florentine School, a collection catalog containing information about del Pollaiolo and his works (see pages: 123-125; MMA #50.135.3).