FRANCIA (c. 1450-1517), a Bolognese painter and gold smith, whose real name was Francesco Raibolini, his father being Marco di Giacomo Raibolini, a carpenter, descended from an old and creditable family, was born at Bologna about 1450. Francia was originally a goldsmith and also an engraver of dies and niellos ; in these arts he became eminent. Two niello Paxes executed between 1480-85 are to be seen at the Bologna academy. He was particularly famed for his dies for medals; he rose to be mint master at Bologna, and retained that office to the end of his life. As a type-founder he made for Aldus Manutius the first italic type.
He may have studied painting under Francesco Cossa, who settled at Bologna in 1470. His earliest known picture, dated 1492, is the "Virgin and Child" in the Mond Collection, National Gallery, London. Another early work, dated 1494, is now in the Bologna gallery—the "Virgin enthroned, with Augustine and five other saints." It is an oil picture, and was originally painted for the church of St. Maria della Misericordia, at the desire of the Bentivoglio family, the rulers of Bologna. The same patrons employed him upon frescoes in their own palace; one of "Judith and Holophernes" is especially noted. Unfortunately these works were destroyed. Francia probably studied likewise the works of Perugino ; and he became a friend and ardent admirer of Raphael, to whom he addressed an enthusiastic sonnet. Raphael cordially responded to the Bolognese master's admiration, and said, in a letter dated in 1508, that few painters or none had produced Madonnas more beautiful, more devout, or better portrayed than those of Francia. If we may trust Vasari the exceeding value which Francia set on Raphael's art brought him to his grave. Raphael had consigned to Francia his famous picture of "St. Cecilia," destined for the church of S. Giovanni in Monte, Bo logna ; and Francia, on inspecting it, took so much to heart his own inferiority, at the advanced age of about 66, to the youthful Umbrian, that he sickened and died on Jan. 6, 1517.
Distanced though he may have been by Raphael, Francia is rightly regarded as the greatest painter of the earlier Bolognese school. His style in some respects recalls the art of Lorenzo Costa. His figures are graceful and his work beautifully finished. The National Gallery contains two remarkably fine specimens of Francia, combined together as principal picture and lunette—the "Virgin and Child and St. Anna" enthroned, surrounded by saints, and (in the lunette) the "Pieta." They come from the Buonvisi chapel in the church of S. Frediano, Lucca, and were among the master's latest paintings. Other leading works are : in Munich "The Madonna within the Rose Garden"; in the Borghese gallery, Rome, "St. Stephen the Martyr" ; in Bologna the frescoes in the church of St. Cecilia, illustrating the life of the saint, all of them from the design of Francia, but not all executed by himself. His landscape backgrounds are of uncommon excellence. The finest extant drawing of the master is the "Judgment of Paris" in the Albertina at Vienna. Francia had many scholars. Marcan tonio Raimondi, the famous engraver, is the most renowned of them; next to him Amico Aspertini, and Francia's own sons Giacomo and Giulio. Lorenzo Costa was much associated with Francia in pictorial work.
On Francia's medals see Hill, Portrait Medals of Italian Artists (1912) . Raphael's letter to Francia is published in E. Miintz, Raphael, p. 321 f. (r886).