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)
Madonna con Bambino e San Giovannino

After Raphael

Madonna con Bambino e San Giovannino

Sale Date: September 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna of the pinks (the Pembroke Madonna) ('La

After Raphael

Madonna of the pinks (the Pembroke Madonna) ('La

Sale Date: September 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna and Child (The Sistine Madonna)

After Raphael

Madonna and Child (The Sistine Madonna)

Sale Date: September 26, 2023

Auction Closed

Studies for the Flying Angel (on the upper right

In the manner of Raphael

Studies for the Flying Angel (on the upper right

Sale Date: September 26, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia, 1800–1899

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia, 1800–1899

Sale Date: February 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della seggiola, 1513–1514

After Raphael

Madonna della seggiola, 1513–1514

Sale Date: February 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della seggiola, 1513–1514

After Raphael

Madonna della seggiola, 1513–1514

Sale Date: February 20, 2023

Auction Closed

La madone du grand-duc, 1801–1899

After Raphael

La madone du grand-duc, 1801–1899

Sale Date: August 26, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: August 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Ora terza di notte

After Raphael

Ora terza di notte

Sale Date: March 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Ora quinta di giorno

After Raphael

Ora quinta di giorno

Sale Date: March 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Holy Family with Saint Elisabeth, St

Raphael

Holy Family with Saint Elisabeth, St

Sale Date: March 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna and Child

After Raphael

Madonna and Child

Sale Date: July 31, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia, 1860

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia, 1860

Sale Date: May 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Vierge à l'Enfant avec saint Jean-Baptiste, 1800

After Raphael

Vierge à l'Enfant avec saint Jean-Baptiste, 1800

Sale Date: February 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Da. Trasfigurazione

Raphael

Da. Trasfigurazione

Sale Date: July 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna Colonna

After Raphael

Madonna Colonna

Sale Date: July 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna of the Rose with Child

In the manner of Raphael

Madonna of the Rose with Child

Sale Date: July 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Sacra Famiglia con San Giovannino (Madonna del...

Raphael

Sacra Famiglia con San Giovannino (Madonna del...

Sale Date: June 29, 2023

Auction Closed

MADONNA DELL‘IMPANNATA

After Raphael

MADONNA DELL‘IMPANNATA

Sale Date: June 29, 2023

Auction Closed

The Descent from the Cross

Workshop of Raphael

The Descent from the Cross

Sale Date: July 4, 2023

Auction Closed

La Vierge à l'Enfant avec le petit saint Jean...

After Raphael

La Vierge à l'Enfant avec le petit saint Jean...

Sale Date: June 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Saint Michel terrassant le démon

Follower of Raphael

Saint Michel terrassant le démon

Sale Date: June 16, 2023

Auction Closed

Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione

Follower of Raphael

Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

English (US)

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