Cherubino Alberti
A master engraver whose detailed copper plates and grand Vatican frescoes helped define the visual grandeur of late Renaissance Rome.
1553–1615 (age 62)·Italian engraver and painter·Birthday: February 24
Biography
Cherubino Alberti, born into a family of artists in Borgo Sansepolcro (which earned him the nickname 'Borghegiano'), carved his legacy not with a chisel but with a burin. Moving to Rome, he became a central figure in printmaking, translating the monumental works of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Polidoro da Caravaggio into intricate, widely circulated engravings. His skill with copper plates brought the masterpieces of the High Renaissance to a broader European audience. Under Pope Clement VIII, Alberti shifted scale, collaborating with his brother Giovanni on sweeping fresco cycles for the Vatican's Sala Clementina and the Lateran Palace. These vast biblical and allegorical scenes blended Mannerist elegance with emerging Baroque dynamism, leaving an indelible mark on the city's most powerful spaces.
#1 When Cherubino Was Born
The biggest hits of 1553
Cherubino's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1553Born
1558Started school
1566Became a teenager
1569Could drive
1571Could vote
1574Turned 21
1583Turned 30
1593Turned 40
1603Turned 50
1613Turned 60
1615Died at 62
Key Achievements
- Created influential engravings that reproduced and disseminated major works by artists like Michelangelo and Polidoro da Caravaggio.
- Collaborated with his brother Giovanni on the monumental fresco decoration of the Vatican's Sala Clementina.
- Painted frescoes in the Lateran Palace, contributing to the grand decorative schemes of papal Rome.
- Produced a significant body of original print designs, including allegorical and religious subjects.
Did You Know?
His nickname, 'Borghegiano', references his family's origins in Borgo Sansepolcro.
He was the son of the sculptor Alberto Alberti.
Many of his engravings were based on drawings by other artists, a common practice for printmakers of the era.
His work is held in major museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.
“I translate the grand frescoes of Rome into lines on a copper plate.”
