Piero della Francesca: The Mathematical Humanist of the Early Renaissance
Piero della Francesca (circa 1412–1492), a painter and mathematician from Tuscany, is celebrated for transforming the depiction of three dimensions. He was born in Borgo Sansepolcro and served notable patrons, including the Duke of Urbino and Pope Nicholas V. His distinctive cool color palette signified a shift from tempera to oil painting. Piero wrote treatises on geometric solids, abacus, and perspective, reflecting his grasp of Euclidean geometry. His painting, The Baptism of Christ (circa 1460, National Gallery, London), illustrates his mathematical methodology. Embracing Alberti's theories on perspective and St. Augustine's light analogy, he lost his sight in later years and passed away in Sansepolcro in 1492. Rediscovered in the 1850s, only sixteen of his works remain, with the Piero Trail linking significant locations.
Key facts
- Piero della Francesca was born around 1412 in Borgo Sansepolcro, Tuscany.
- He worked for the Duke of Urbino, Sigismondo Malatesta, and Pope Nicholas V.
- He wrote mathematical treatises: Five Regular Solids, Abacus Treatise, and On Perspective.
- The Baptism of Christ (c. 1460) is at the National Gallery, London.
- The painting uses geometric shapes (rectangle and semicircle) with mathematical symbolism.
- Marilyn Aronberg Lavin proposed the pentagon refers to Christ's five wounds.
- Piero died in 1492 in Sansepolcro and was rediscovered in the 1850s.
- Only sixteen of his works survive.
Entities
Artists
- Piero della Francesca
- Leon Battista Alberti
- St. Augustine
- Marilyn Aronberg Lavin
- Anthony Bertram
- Larry Witham
Institutions
- Uffizi Gallery
- Palatina Library
- Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
- National Gallery, London
- Google Arts and Culture
Locations
- Borgo Sansepolcro
- Tuscany
- Italy
- Urbino
- Rimini
- Rome
- Florence
- Parma
- Arezzo
- Monterchi
- Sansepolcro
- Perugia
- Bologna