Cesare Nebbia (c.1536–c.1614) was an Italian painter from

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are comp ...

who painted in a

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...

style.

Biography

Nebbia was born in

. He trained with

Girolamo Muziano Girolamo Muziano or Mutiani (c. 1532 – 1592), was an Italian painter, one of the most prominent artists active in Rome in the mid-to-late sixteenth century. Life He was born in Acquafredda, near Brescia, but active mainly in Rome. The accou ...

, and under this master, he helped complete a flurry of decoration that was added to the Cathedral of Orvieto in the 1560s. Almost all the remaining work in Orvieto is now in the Museo del Duomo. Nebbia and Muziano became active in many of the premier projects in late 16th-century

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Along with Muziano's other assistant,

Giovanni Guerra Giovanni Guerra (1544–1618) was an Italian draughtsman and painter from Modena who worked in Rome, where he probably arrived in 1562, though he was not documented until 1583, when he frescoed three friezes of allegorical figures in the Palazzett ...

, they decorated the ''Gregorian Chapel'' in the

St Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a Church (building), church built in the Renaissance architecture, Renaissanc ...

during the pontificate of

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

(1572–1585). Other Mannerist painters that were involved in this enterprise were

Taddeo Taddeo is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Taddeo Alderotti (between 1206 and 1215-1295), Italian doctor and professor of medicine * Taddeo Altini O.S.A. (1609-1685), Roman Catholic Bishop of Civita Castellana e Orte, and Titular Bishop ...

and

Federico Zuccari Federico Zuccaro, also known as Federico Zuccari (c. 1540/1541August 6, 1609), was an Italian Mannerist painter and architect, active both in Italy and abroad. Biography Zuccaro was born at Sant'Angelo in Vado, near Urbino (Marche). His docum ...

Niccolò Circignani Niccolò Circignani (c. 1517/1524 – after 1596) was an Italian painter of the late- Renaissance or Mannerist period. Biography Born in Pomarance, he is one of three Italian painters called Pomarancio. His first works are documented from ...

, and

Hendrick van den Broeck Hendrick van den Broeck or Arrigo Fiammingo (c. 1530 – 28 September 1597) was a Flemish painter, fresco painter, glass painter and sculptor of the late- Renaissance or Mannerist period. After training in Flanders, he travelled to Italy w ...

(known as ''Arrigo Fiammingo''). The fresco decorations in ''Palazzo Simonelli'' in Torre San Severo (near

) have been attributed to Nebbia. In 1576, he painted a ''Resurrection of Lazarus'' for the Church of Santa Maria dei Servi in

Città della Pieve Città della Pieve is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located in Valdichiana a few kilometres from the border between Umbria and Tuscany, and about southwest of Perugia and southeast of Chi ...

. During the pontificate of Pope

Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

(1585–1590), Nebbia and Guerra together supervised the two major fresco decorations commissioned by this papacy: at the church of

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...

, construction and decoration of the ''Capella Sistina''; and in the Lateran palace and church of

San Giovanni in Laterano The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

, the refurbishment of the ''

Scala Sancta The ( en, Holy Stairs, it, Scala Santa) are a set of 28 white marble steps that are Roman Catholic relics located in an edifice on extraterritorial property of the Holy See in Rome, Italy proximate to the Archbasilica of Saint John in Lateran ...

'' and the chapel of St. Lawrence. The Sistine chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore was intended as the burial chapel for pope Sixtus, which held the relic of the Nativity (the original ''Presepe'' or ''manger crib''), and should not to be confused with the more famous

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

counterpart, the

Sistine chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

. The decoration for the church, and for the chapel, shows scenes of the

Life of the Virgin The Life of the Virgin, showing narrative scenes from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a common subject for pictorial cycles in Christian art, often complementing, or forming part of, a cycle on the Life of Christ. In both cases the ...

. The project for the Scala Sancta involved an amalgam of structures, it comprises five parallel staircases leading to a common corridor, opening up to chapels, the central one of which was the private papal chapel of St. Laurence or ''Sancta Sanctorum'' of the

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Lateran Palace, and held numerous relics, including the icon of ''Santissimi Salvatore Acheiropoieton'' (that is, not painted by human hands). These staircases were said to have been originally from the palace of Pilate in Jerusalem. In the fresco decoration at Santa Maria Maggiore, that began in 1586,

Baglione Giovanni Baglione (1566 – 30 December 1643) was an Italian Late Mannerist and Early Baroque painter and art historian. He is best remembered for his acrimonious and damaging involvement with the slightly younger artist Caravaggio and ...

identifies as active in the work the following ten painters:Rhoda Eitel-Porter, p. 452 # Cesare Nebbia # Hendrick van den Broek # Angelo from Orvieto # Ercolino from Bologna #

Salvatore Fontana Salvatore Fontana (Venice, c. 1550s - 1590) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, a minor pupil of Cesare Nebbia active mainly in Rome. Biography He worked under Nebbia in the Sistine Chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome The Bas ...

Lattanzio Mainardi Lattanzio Mainardi ( fl. 16th century) was an Italian painter of the late- Renaissance or Mannerist period. Originally from or near Bologna and referred to as ''Lattanzio Bolognese'' by Giovanni Baglione. He painted frescoes for the Chapel of Po ...

# Ferdinando Sermei # Giacomo Stella # Giovanni Battista Pozzo # Paris Nogari. For the project at the Scala Sancta, an overlapping crew of artists was also employed to decorate frescoes including Giovanni Baglione himself, Stella, Giovanni Battista Pozzo, Nogari, as well as Prospero Orsi, Ferraù Fenzoni,

Paul Bril Paul Bril (1554 – 7 October 1626) was a Flemish painter and printmaker principally known for his landscapes.Nicola Courtright. "Paul Bril." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 September 2016 He spent most of ...

Paolo Guidotti Cavaliere Paolo Guidotti, also known as il Cavalier Borghese (Lucca, 1559 - 1629) was an Italian painter, sculptor and architect, active in Rome, Lucca, Pisa, Reggio Emilia, Napoli. Biography He was described as having a ''ingegno bizzarro'', br ...

Giovanni Battista Ricci Giovanni Battista Ricci (Novara, circa 1537 – Rome, 1627) nicknamed Il Novara after his birth town, was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerist and early-Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Biography Ricci moved to Rome from his native Pie ...

Cesare Torelli Cesare Torelli Romano was an Italian painter. He was born in Rome, and a pupil of Giovanni de' Vecchi. He flourished in the pontificate of Paul V, and was employed both as a painter and a mosaicist in the library of the Vatican, and in the Sca ...

Antonio Vivarini Antonio Vivarini (Antonio of Murano) (active c. 14401480) was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance-late Gothic period, who worked mostly in the Republic of Venice. He is probably the earliest of a family of painters, which was descended ...

Andrea Lilio Andrea Lilio (1555 - 1642) was an Italian painter born in Ancona, hence he also is known as ''L'Anconitano''. He painted mainly in his native city, as well as in Rome, where he was active from the beginning of the 17th century until around 1640 ...

Cesare Cesare, the Italian language, Italian version of the given name Caesar (title), Caesar, may refer to: Given name * Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria (1738–1794), an Italian philosopher and politician * Cesare Airaghi (1840–1896), Italian colonel ...

and Vicenzo Conti,

Baldassare Croce Baldassare Croce ( Bologna, 1558–November 8, 1628) was an Italian painter, active during the late- Mannerist period, active mainly in and around Rome. Biography He trained in Bologna, and moved to Rome by 1581. Known as a prolific academic pa ...

Ventura Salimbeni Ventura di Archangelo Salimbeni (also later called Bevilacqua; 20 January 1568 – 1613) was an Italian Counter-Maniera painter and printmaker highly influenced by the ''vaghezza'' and sensual reform of Federico Barocci. Biography Salimb ...

, and Antonio Scalvati. Numerous preliminary drawings by Nebbia exist for these frescoes. Nebbia helped paint galleries in Vatican libraries including the ceilings of map gallery. During the papacy of

Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Bor ...

he designed the pendentive mosaics depicting the Evangelists Matthew and Mark for

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

. He painted a ''Crucifixion'' for

Borghese The House of Borghese is a princely family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the ''commune''. During the 16th century, ...

chapel in the church of

Trinità dei Monti The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti, often called merely the Trinità dei Monti ( French: ''La Trinité-des-Monts''), is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance titular church in Rome, central Italy. It is best known for its position abo ...

. He painted a ''Resurrection'' for

San Giacomo degli Spagnoli Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore ("Our Lady of the Sacred Heart", also known as San Giacomo degli Spagnoli and in Spanish, Santiago de los Españoles) is a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary located in Rome's Piazza Navona. History An ...

. He painted a ''Coronation of the Virgin'' for the church of

Santa Maria dei Monti Santa Maria dei Monti (also known as Madonna dei Monti or Santa Maria ai Monti) is a cardinalatial titular church, located at 41 Via della Madonna dei Monti, at the intersection with Via dei Serpenti, in the rione Monti of Rome, Italy. The churc ...

. Along with the painter known as ''il Bertoia'',

and others, he helped fresco the walls of the Oratorio del Gonfalone in Rome. He also contributed to the decoration of the ''

Oratory of Santissimo Crocifisso The Oratorio del Santissimo Crocifisso or the Oratory of the Most Holy Crucifix is a building in central Rome, Italy. Located next to the church of San Marcello al Corso, it served as a prayer hall and meeting house for the Archconfraternity of t ...

''. In 1603-1604, he moved to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

where he worked for

Federico Borromeo Federico Borromeo (18 August 1564 – 21 September 1631) was an Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan, a prominent figure of Counter-Reformation Italy. Early life Federico Borromeo was born in Milan as the second son of Giulio Cesare Borrom ...

painting a series of frescoes on the life of the ''Blessed

Carlo Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

'' for various sites, including the

Collegio Borromeo ''For the former Borromeo College in the United States see Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology#Borromeo College'' The Almo Collegio Borromeo is a private university hall of residence (collegio) in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. ...

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

, the collegiata di Arona, and the Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella.

References

* * * * *

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebbia, Cesare 1530s births 1610s deaths People from Orvieto Italian Mannerist painters 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters