Paris Bordone
Italian·1500–1571
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Venetian School painter Paris Bordone (1500-1571) combined the rich color of Titian's workshop with theatrical architectural settings and striking depictions of women. Born in Treviso, he moved to Venice at age eight and apprenticed briefly and unhappily with Titian, according to Giorgio Vasari. When Bordone won his first church altarpiece commission in 1523, Titian allegedly took the work for himself, deepening their rift. Despite this tension, Bordone spent most of his career in Venice, developing a style that eventually incorporated Central Italian Mannerist elements alongside Venetian color.
Bordone gained public attention after winning the competition to paint Fisherman Consigning a Ring to the Doge (1534-35) for the Accademia in Venice, a work characterized by bright Titianesque color and complex architectural settings derived from Sebastiano Serlio's treatises. In 1538, he traveled to France to work at Francis I's court at Fontainebleau, where he encountered Rosso Fiorentino and Primaticcio, absorbing Mannerist influences that appeared in later works featuring warmer colors and oddly tilted figures. He excelled at cabinet paintings of beautiful women, both in portraits and mythological subjects. Bordone's paintings hang at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Hermitage, the Louvre, and the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds his Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages.
Notable Works by Paris Bordone
1 painting catalogued with museum locations
Museums with Paris Bordone's Work
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About Paris Bordone
Bordone belonged to the Venetian School during the Renaissance, combining Titianesque color with Mannerist elements absorbed during his time at the French court. He studied briefly with Titian but developed an independent style featuring elaborate architectural settings and rich, warm coloring.
Fisherman Consigning a Ring to the Doge (1534-35) at the Accademia in Venice won him public recognition for its brilliant color and complex architectural setting. The painting depicts a miracle legend with Venice's distinctive buildings as backdrop, demonstrating his skill at combining figures with elaborate cityscapes.
Works hang at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Louvre in Paris, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, and the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. His paintings of beautiful women and mythological scenes are scattered across European collections.
Bordone apprenticed briefly with Titian but the relationship soured. According to Vasari, when Bordone won an altarpiece commission for San Niccolò dei Frari in 1523, Titian used his influence to take the work for himself. Bordone left the workshop and developed an independent career.
Yes, in 1538 he worked at Francis I's court at Fontainebleau in France, where he encountered Italian Mannerist painters decorating the royal château. Their influence appeared in his later work's elongated figures and complex compositions. He also worked for the Fugger banking family in Germany.
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