Page from a Sketchbook Depicting a City under Siege and a Scene of Homage(?) (recto); standing figures and a horseman; male and female figures; a battle scene (verso)

Italian Renaissance painting is most often be divided into four periods: the Proto-Renaissance (1300–1425), the Early Renaissance (1425–1495), the High Renaissance (1495–1520), and Mannerism (1520–1600). The city of Florence is renowned as the birthplace of the Renaissance, and in particular of Renaissance painting. From the early 15th to late 16th centuries, Italy was divided into many political states. The painters of Renaissance Italy wandered Italy, disseminating artistic and philosophical ideas. The Proto-Renaissance begins with the professional life of the painter Giotto and includes Taddeo Gaddi, Orcagna and Altichiero. The Early Renaissance style was started by Masaccio and then further developed by Fra Angelico, Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca, Sandro Botticelli, Verrocchio, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Giovanni Bellini. The High Renaissance period was that of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, Coreggio, Giorgione, the latter works of Giovanni Bellini, and Titian. The Mannerist period, dealt with in a separate article, included the latter works of Michelangelo, as well as Pontormo, Parmigianino, Bronzino and Tintoretto.

Domenico Beccafumi was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor, born in 1486 in Montaperti, near Siena, Italy. Also known as Domenico di Pace, he was part of the Sienese school of painting. He studied under the famous painter Il Sodoma and was greatly influenced by the works of Michelangelo. Beccafumi's early works were primarily religious paintings, but he later expanded his repertoire to include secular subjects. His style was characterised by a strong sense of movement and a dramatic use of light and shadow. His paintings often featured elongated figures with exaggerated poses and gestures. One of Beccafumi's most famous works is the cycle of frescoes in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, depicting scenes from the life of Pope Pius II. He also painted a number of altarpieces for churches in Siena and the surrounding area. As well as painting, Beccafumi was also a skilled sculptor and created a number of bronze reliefs and sculptures. He died in Siena in 1551.