Cesare Nebbia, The Dome of the Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, 1585-1590
Cesare Nebbia was an Italian painter from Orvieto, Italy, who painted in the style of Mannerism, a European style that emerged in the latter part of the Italian High Renaissance. This style emerged around 1520 and lasted until the end of the 16th century in Italy, replaced by the Baroque style. While the Renaissance art emphasized proportion, balance and ideal beauty, Mannerism exaggerated such qualities, leading to asymmetrical or unnaturally elegant compositions, which favored compositional tension and instability.
The Mannerist interior decoration of the Santa Maria Maggiore’s Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was completed from 1587-1589 by a large team of artists, directed by Cesare Nebbia and Italian Draughtsman and painter Giovanni Guerra. Recent scholarship found that the hand of Nebbia drew preliminary sketches for many, if not all, of the frescoes that cover the walls.