Painter of the Bible
Daniele da Volterra (Daniele Ricciarelli)
Daniele da Volterra (Daniele Ricciarelli) was a Tuscan-born painter and sculptor and the principal pupil and confidant of Michelangelo in the master's late Roman years.
Their faith
Why Daniele da Volterra (Daniele Ricciarelli) painted Christ
Daniele da Volterra, born in 1509 in Tuscany, was deeply influenced by the Christian faith throughout his artistic career. Trained in the workshops of notable artists like Sodoma and Baldassare Peruzzi, he later became a close confidant of Michelangelo, who was renowned for his own devout approach to art. Daniele's religious devotion is evident in the themes he chose to explore in his work, particularly in his altarpieces and fresco cycles, which often depicted pivotal moments from the life of Christ. His commitment to his faith was not just a backdrop but a driving force behind his artistic expression, as he sought to convey the beauty and depth of Christian narratives through his art.
One of Daniele's most celebrated works is the "Deposition" fresco in the Trinità dei Monti, painted in 1541. This masterpiece captures the poignant moment of Christ being lowered from the cross, showcasing his ability to convey emotion and drama, influenced by Michelangelo's teachings. Another significant work, the double-sided panel of "David and Goliath," further illustrates his dedication to biblical themes. Through these paintings, Daniele da Volterra invites viewers to reflect on the profound truths of the Christian faith, embodying a spiritual vision that transcends time. His art continues to inspire and uplift, reminding us of the beauty found in devotion and the sacred stories of our faith.
Life & work
Daniele da Volterra (Daniele Ricciarelli) was a Tuscan-born painter and sculptor and the principal pupil and confidant of Michelangelo in the master's late Roman years. Born in Volterra in 1509, trained in Siena in the workshops of Sodoma and Baldassare Peruzzi before moving to Rome around 1535, he became one of Michelangelo's closest assistants and collaborators in the late 1540s and 1550s and continued working in Rome until his death there in 1566.
His Christian religious work is concentrated in altarpieces, fresco cycles, and small devotional panels in his characteristic combination of Sienese Mannerist figural drawing and the late-Michelangelesque sculptural figural drama he absorbed during his close association with the master. The Deposition fresco in the Trinità dei Monti in Rome (1541 — painted for the Orsini Chapel and widely held to be his masterpiece, with the body of Christ being lowered from the cross in a complex multi-figure composition derived directly from Michelangelo's preparatory drawings), the David and Goliath panel (Louvre and Bargello — a double-sided panel with David on the front and Goliath on the back, painted around 1555), the Massacre of the Innocents (Uffizi), and the late altarpieces and devotional panels for Roman patrons fill the painted corpus.
He earned a place in art history beyond his own painted output through a single piece of pictorial editing: in 1564, immediately after Michelangelo's death, he was commissioned by Pope Pius IV to paint loincloths and drapery over the most exposed nude figures in Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, in response to the post-Council-of-Trent objections to the fresco's nudity. The campaign earned Daniele the nickname Il Braghettone (the breeches-maker), a label that has somewhat unfairly overshadowed his own significant painted accomplishment in subsequent art-historical writing.
He was also a major sculptor — the bronze portrait bust of Michelangelo (1564, Bargello and Louvre versions), commissioned and made shortly after the master's death — is one of the supreme High Renaissance Italian portrait sculptures. He died in Rome in 1566 and was buried in the church of Santi Apostoli.
Notable works in detail
Study for the Figure of Saint Peter
Study for the Figure of Saint Peter, drawn by Daniele da Volterra around 1540 (early in his Roman career, in the workshop he ran while assisting Michelangelo) in red chalk on paper and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is a preparatory drawing for one of his many painted altarpiece compositions. The drawing shows the apostle Peter in three-quarter view, his arms raised in a complex foreshortened pose, the muscular figural anatomy demonstrating Daniele's close absorption of the Michelangelo figural drawing tradition that he was learning at first hand during his close personal and professional association with the master in the late 1540s and 1550s. The sheet is among the principal Daniele drawings in any American collection.
Bible scenes Daniele da Volterra (Daniele Ricciarelli) painted
Matthew
