Giulio Romano. Giulio Pippi de' Giannuzzi, the chief pupil of Raphael, and after his death head of the Roman school, was born at Rome about 1492—some authorities say 1498. His excellence as an architect and engineer almost equalled his genius as a painter. Giulio assisted Raphael in the execution of several of his finest works, such as the series of the so-called Raphael's Bible in the loggie of the Vatican and the 'Benefactors of the Church' in the Incendio del Borgo, and at Raphael's death he completed the 'Battle of Constantine' and the
'Apparition of the Cross' in the Hall of Constantine in the Vatican. He likewise inherited a great portion of Raphael's wealth and his works of art. The paintings executed by Giulio in imitation of Raphael reflect not only the style and character, but the sentiment and spirit of the master; but, on the other hand, his more original creations are deficient in the ideal grace of Raphael, and display rather breadth and power of treatment and boldness of imagination than poetical refinement or elevation. With a thorough knowledge of design he combined a facile skill in composition and a thorough appreciation of classical ideals. Before he left Rome he built the Villa Madama, and adorned it with a fresco of Polyphemus. About the end of 1524 Giulio accepted the invitation of Federigo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, to proceed thither and carry out a series of architectural and pictorial works. The drainage of the marshes surrounding the city, and the protection of it from the frequent inundations of the rivers Po and Mincio, attest his skill as an engineer; while his genius as an architect found scope in the restoration and adornment of the Palazzo del Te, the cathedral, the streets, and a ducal palace at Marnirola, a few miles from Mantua. Amongst the pictorial works of this period were the 'History of Troy,' in the castle, and 'Psyche,' 'Icarus,' and the 'Titans,' in the Te palace. In Bologna, too, he designed the façade of the church of S. Petronio. Perhaps the best of his oil-pictures are the 'Martyrdom of St Stephen' (at Genoa), 'A Holy Family' (Dresden), 'Mary and Jesus' (Louvre), and the 'Madonna della Gatta' (Naples). Giulio died at Mantua, 1st November 1546. See D'Arco's Vita e Opere di Giulio Romano (1842).