Perugino

Perugino (c. 1446-1523) was the Raphael teacher's name, and in his own time he was the Renaissance's most celebrated painter, commanding fees that shocked even the wealthiest patrons. Brinton's biography traces this extraordinary ascent, from a young man trained in Perugia's workshops to the favored artist of popes and princes. Yet this is also a story of decline: as Michelangelo and Leonardo revolutionized painting, Perugino's classical grace began to feel dated, his workshop methods mechanical. The book explores how a master could be utterly forgotten while his greatest student achieved immortality. For anyone fascinated by how art history remembers and forgets, this is a compelling study of reputation, influence, and the cruel mathematics of legacy.