Born Giulio Pippi in Rome, Giulio Romano was the foremost pupil and collaborator of Raphael. From about 1519, he contributed to the monumental Vatican frescoes—most notably in the... View More

Born Giulio Pippi in Rome, Giulio Romano was the foremost pupil and collaborator of Raphael. From about 1519, he contributed to the monumental Vatican frescoes—most notably in the Stanze di Raffaello—where his mastery of perspective and narrative invention became evident. Around 1524, he accepted Duke Federico II Gonzaga’s invitation to Mantua, transforming the ducal palace into a Mannerist showcase.

At the Palazzo Te, Giulio orchestrated an extraordinary decorative program of illusionistic frescoes and inventive stucco that playfully manipulate architectural norms. Scenes like The Fall of the Giants burst through painted architecture as if the building itself were collapsing. As an architect, he also redesigned churches and urban spaces in Mantua, integrating painting, sculpture, and structural design into seamless Gesamtkunstwerk. Giulio’s bold distortions of classical form and his flamboyant theatricality helped define the Mannerist aesthetic across Italy and set a precedent for the decorative arts in European courts.