PINTURICCHIO
(b. ca. 1454, Perugia, d. 1513, Siena)

Vault decoration

1493-95
Fresco
Appartamento Borgia, Palazzi Vaticani, Rome

The decorative skills of Pinturichio are apparent in the vault of this room he painted in the papal apartments of the Vatican. He accentuated the ribs of the vault and in doing so created strong framing elements within which he placed the scenes of the vault. Pinturichio filled all of the available surface with imagery, reserving the direct centre of the ceiling for the Borgia coat of arms. A later pope, Julius II, found serious objection to the decoration, and refused to live in the apartments.

The frescoes depict the myth of Isis and Osiris.