# Piero di Cosimo — Romola character guide

> Piero di Cosimo in Romola by George Eliot.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Piero, Piero mio

**First appearance:** 0006-iv-first-impressions

## Snapshot

A painter of strange fancies and sharper eyes, Piero di Cosimo reads Florence's faces like canvases and finds in Tito's charm something worth watching — and quietly mistrusting.

## Who they are

Piero di Cosimo moves through Florence's studios and piazzas as an odd, half-wild observer whose fancies are as unsettling as his portraits. He befriends Tito early, drawn by the Greek's beauty and ease, yet his painter's instinct keeps registering small wrongnesses others miss. His sidelong judgments give the reader a second pair of eyes on Tito's charm, and his loyalty to Romola quietly matters when the city's certainties start to crack.

## Relationships

### [Tito Melema](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters/tito_melema)

_friendship_

Piero is an artist and friend of Tito, but he becomes suspicious of Tito's character and motives.

### [Tito Melema](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters/tito_melema)

_friendship_

Piero is an artist and friend of Tito, but he becomes suspicious of Tito's character and motives.

### [Tito Melema](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters/tito_melema)

_friendship_

Piero is an artist and friend of Tito, but he becomes suspicious of Tito's character and motives.

## In the story

### [IV: First Impressions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/iv-first-impressions)

A painter who sees Tito as a model for a traitor in his painting, causing Tito to startle.

### [A Face in the Crowd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/viii-a-face-in-the-crowd)

The painter, more interested in the visual spectacle of banners than the human pageantry, expressing his artistic temperament.

### [XVIII: The Portrait](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xviii-the-portrait)

The eccentric artist who has painted Tito's portrait, capturing his fear, and who is commissioned to create a Bacchus and Ariadne triptych.

### [XX: The Day of the Betrothal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xx-the-day-of-the-betrothal)

Painted the tabernacle and the portraits of Romola and Tito, though he is not present in the scene.

### [The Prisoners](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxii-the-prisoners)

Piero observes Tito's reaction to Baldassarre and comments on the ghost-like appearance. He is later involved in a discussion about the Duomo's decorations.

### [XXIII: Afterthoughts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxiii-afterthoughts)

Piero observes Baldassarre with a painter's interest, noting his 'tiger look' and intending to see him again in the Duomo.

### [XXV: Outside the Duomo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxv-outside-the-duomo)

Observes Baldassarre and cuts his cords, offering shelter and a portrait opportunity, but is declined.

### [XXVIII: The Painted Record](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxviii-the-painted-record)

Shows Romola the unfinished portrait of Bardo, but accidentally reveals the sketch of Tito with the prisoner, which he tries to dismiss as a mere fancy.

### [XXIX: A Moment of Triumph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxix-a-moment-of-triumph)

Criticizes Tito's fearful reaction to a stranger, questioning his courage. He engages in a debate with Nello about bravery and sensibility, and remains skeptical of Tito's character.

### [XXX: The Avenger's Secret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxx-the-avenger-s-secret)

Piero's friendly advances are rejected by Baldassarre, who is cautious and distrustful of revealing himself.

### [XLIX: The Pyramid of Vanities](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xlix-the-pyramid-of-vanities)

Observes the pyramid from the Loggia, expressing bitter scorn for the Piagnoni's destruction of art and poetry. He challenges Romola about her reading of Boccaccio, revealing his disdain for the movement.

### [Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/epilogue)

Mentioned as approaching with Nello, bringing flowers, despite his criticism of Romola's devotion to Fra Girolamo.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters/piero_di_cosimo
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters