Raphael

(Italian, 1483–1520)

Raphael was a seminal Italian painter of the High Renaissance period. Admired for his ability to organize forms and color into clear and graceful compositions, Raphael portrayed scenes with delicate lines and subtle shading, evoking a Platonic ideal of serenity and beauty. In perhaps his best-known work, The Sistine Madonna (1513-1514), the artist conveyed an elaborate scene in which wistful cherubs gaze up at the Virgin Mary, two saints, and her son. Born Raffaello Sanzio on April 6, 1483 in Urbino, Italy, his father was the painter Giovanni Santi who became the young artist’s first instructor. By the age of 17, Raphael was already considered a precocious talent, producing paintings influenced by the work Piero della Francesca. Around the year 1500, he apprenticed with Pietro Perugino, helping the elder artist to produce an important fresco commission in Perugia, an experience that had a profound influence on the young Raphael. Moving to Florence in 1504, he was immersed in the milieu of the one the great epochs of art history, while in the city he studied the works of both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Called by Pope Julius II to Rome in 1508, Rapahel was hired to complete a cycle of frescoes in the papal apartments inside the Vatican, he would live in the city the next 12 years. The artist died on his 37th birthday on April 6, 1520 in Rome, Italy. According to his biographer Giorgio Vasari, Raphael’s premature death was caused by a fever brought on by excessive lovemaking with his mistress Luti. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the National Gallery in London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others.

Raphael News

Art World

Art Bites: Did Raphael Die From Too Much Sex?

by Richard Whiddington
Art Bites: Did Raphael Die From Too Much Sex?
On View

See How Depictions of Childhood Have Changed Throughout Art History

by Jo Lawson-Tancred
See How Depictions of Childhood Have Changed Throughout Art History
Pop Culture

The Painting Behind the Meme: Raphael's Side-Eyeing Bride

by Verity Babbs
The Painting Behind the Meme: Raphael's Side-Eyeing Bride

Raphael Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Raphael (1,621 results)
Portrait of a woman, head and shoulders

Follower of Raphael

Portrait of a woman, head and shoulders

Sale Date: January 27, 2006

Auction Closed

La Vierge, le Christ et Saint Jean Baptiste (by...

After Raphael

La Vierge, le Christ et Saint Jean Baptiste (by...

Sale Date: November 30, 2005

Auction Closed

Head of a putto looking to his left

School of Raphael

Head of a putto looking to his left

Sale Date: January 25, 2006

Auction Closed

L'Archange Michel terrassant le démon, 1800

Style of Raphael

L'Archange Michel terrassant le démon, 1800

Sale Date: December 14, 2005

Auction Closed

Holy Family with St. Anne, St...., 1600–1799

After Raphael

Holy Family with St. Anne, St...., 1600–1799

Sale Date: December 3, 2005

Auction Closed

La Madonna Bridgewater

Raphael

La Madonna Bridgewater

Sale Date: December 13, 2005

Auction Closed

La Sainte Famille dite La Perle

After Raphael

La Sainte Famille dite La Perle

Sale Date: November 30, 2005

Auction Closed

The Madonna and Child

After Raphael

The Madonna and Child

Sale Date: December 6, 2005

Auction Closed

Madonna mit dem Jesuskind und Johannesknaben...

After Raphael

Madonna mit dem Jesuskind und Johannesknaben...

Sale Date: November 23, 2005

Auction Closed

The Massacre of the Innocents

After Raphael

The Massacre of the Innocents

Sale Date: November 15, 2005

Auction Closed

The Madonna of the Goldfinch

After Raphael

The Madonna of the Goldfinch

Sale Date: November 2, 2005

Auction Closed

Madonna and Child with Saint Anne, Joseph and...

After Raphael

Madonna and Child with Saint Anne, Joseph and...

Sale Date: October 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: September 26, 2005

Auction Closed

Madonna della Seggiola

After Raphael

Madonna della Seggiola

Sale Date: October 6, 2005

Auction Closed

Madonna mit Kind unter einem Baldachin..., 1800–1899

Attributed to Raphael

Madonna mit Kind unter einem Baldachin..., 1800–1899

Sale Date: September 22, 2005

Auction Closed

La sacra famiglia con San Giovannino, 1700–1799

After Raphael

La sacra famiglia con San Giovannino, 1700–1799

Sale Date: October 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Picturae Raphaelis Sancti Urbinatis ex Aula..., 1722

After Raphael

Picturae Raphaelis Sancti Urbinatis ex Aula..., 1722

Sale Date: May 26, 2005

Auction Closed

The Holy Family

Follower of Raphael

The Holy Family

Sale Date: July 5, 2005

Auction Closed

The Madonna of the pinks

After Raphael

The Madonna of the pinks

Sale Date: July 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Die Schule von Athen

After Raphael

Die Schule von Athen

Sale Date: July 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Hagar und Ismael (?)

After Raphael

Hagar und Ismael (?)

Sale Date: June 30, 2005

Auction Closed

Sibylle mit dem eine Fackel tragenden..., 1530–1540

After Raphael

Sibylle mit dem eine Fackel tragenden..., 1530–1540

Sale Date: June 30, 2005

Auction Closed

L'Archange Michel terrassant le démon, 1800

Style of Raphael

L'Archange Michel terrassant le démon, 1800

Sale Date: June 20, 2005

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia, 1875–1925

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia, 1875–1925

Sale Date: June 11, 2005

Auction Closed

English (US)

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