Genga was born in a region near
Urbino. According mainly to
Giorgio Vasari's biography, by age thirteen Genga had gained an apprenticeship in Orvieto under
Luca Signorelli. He was afterwards for three years with
Pietro Perugino, in company with
Raphael. He next worked in
Florence and
Siena (where he decorated the Petrucci palace c. 1508), along with
Timoteo della Vite; and in the latter city he painted various compositions for
Pandolfo Petrucci, a leading local statesman, among which
The Abduction of Helen, now in the
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. Returning to Urbino, he was employed by Duke
Guidobaldo da Montefeltro in the decorations of his palace, and showed extraordinary aptitude for theatrical adornments. He is recorded as having helped design the decorations for the Duke's funeral in 1508. From Urbino, he travelled to Rome and painted one of his masterpieces,
The Resurrection, for the church of
Santa Caterina da Siena.
Francesco Maria I della Rovere, duke of
Urbino, recalled Genga, and commissioned him to execute works in connection with his marriage to
Eleonora Gonzaga in 1522. This prince was soon afterwards expelled by
Pope Leo X, and Genga followed him to
Mantua. When Della Rovere regained Pesaro, he had Genga reconstruct a former castle into a suburban villa, known as the
Villa Imperiale This semi-rural retreat was refurbished from c. 1530 onwards. Its sunken court is the direct precedent for the more famous one at
Villa Giulia, Rome, For the fresco decoration of the interior, Genga recruited a number of major
Mannerist painters, including
Francesco Menzocchi,
Bronzino,
Dosso Dossi, and
Raffaellino dal Colle. The duke of Urbino was eventually restored to his dominions; he took Genga with him, and appointed him the ducal architect and decorator. He worked extensively on the
Villa Imperiale on
Mount Accio. Among his work in Urbino, was the scenography of plays, for example,
Castiglione described the sumptuous decoration (presumably Genga's) of the performance of
Bibbiena’s La Calandria in Urbino on 6 February 1513. He also decorated the chapel of San Martino in the cathedral. Genga was a sculptor as well as a musician. Among his pupils was his own son Bartolommeo (1518–1558), who became a respected architect. There are few extant paintings by Genga. One of his leading works is in the church of
Sant'Agostino in
Cesena: a triptych in oil, representing the
Annunciation, God the Father in Glory, and the Madonna and Child. Among his architectural works are the church of San Giovanni Battista in
Pesaro; the bishop's palace at
Senigallia; the façade of the
Mantua cathedral; and fortifications near Pesaro. Genga retired to a house in the vicinity of Urbino, continuing still to produce designs in pencil. ==References==