Raphael Painting

Raphael was called “the prince of painters” by Giorgio Vasari, a prominent 16th century biographer of artists (and acclaimed artist in his own right). His works are full of idealistic beauty and human grandeur. He achieved success and fame in his own time and his popularity has continued unabated till today. His portrait of his friend and fellow courtier, Baldassare Castiglione (see image to the right), is by common consent peerless. Titian and Cezanne admired it, and Rembrandt modelled one of his self-portraits on the exact same pose. In his short life-time he managed to achieve much. Besides his skill and genius as a painter, he was a sculptor, architect and poet. In 1514 he was appointed chief architect to the Vatican and the rebuilding of St Peter's (a task carried on by Michelangelo sometime after Raphael's death), yet still


found time to design  a number of other churches, palaces, and mansions. In 1514, Leo X made him director of a project to excavate the antiquities of Rome, for which Raphael made a survey. He created 10 cartoons for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel, ordered by Leo X, 7 of which have survived and are in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. (The tapestries themselves were woven by Pieter van Aelst and are in the Vatican Museum).

Birthplace: Urbino, Duchy of Urbino (Italy) 

Born: 6 April 1483

Died: 6 April 1520

Best Known As: High Renaissance painter of The School of Athens