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)
The Madonna of the Meadow

After Raphael

The Madonna of the Meadow

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna Di Foligno

In the manner of Raphael

Madonna Di Foligno

Sale Date: March 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna Del Divino Amore

After Raphael

Madonna Del Divino Amore

Sale Date: March 17, 2023

Auction Closed

The Holy Family with Infant St. John the Baptist

After Raphael

The Holy Family with Infant St. John the Baptist

Sale Date: March 26, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: March 26, 2023

Auction Closed

“Madonna del Passeggio”

After Raphael

“Madonna del Passeggio”

Sale Date: March 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna Rella Seggiola

After Raphael

Madonna Rella Seggiola

Sale Date: February 28, 2023

Auction Closed

La Vierge aux candélabres

After Raphael

La Vierge aux candélabres

Sale Date: March 1, 2023

Auction Closed

MADONNA DELL'IMPANNATA

After Raphael

MADONNA DELL'IMPANNATA

Sale Date: March 8, 2023

Auction Closed

MADONNA AND CHILD

In the manner of Raphael

MADONNA AND CHILD

Sale Date: March 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Madonna della Seggiola

After Raphael

Madonna della Seggiola

Sale Date: February 16, 2023

Auction Closed

After Raphael

"Madone Sixtine", 1880

Sale Date: October 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Danse de putti autour d'un arbre

Follower of Raphael

Danse de putti autour d'un arbre

Sale Date: December 14, 2022

Auction Closed

The Madonna of the Chair, 1848

After Raphael

The Madonna of the Chair, 1848

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

The Transfiguration

After Raphael

The Transfiguration

Sale Date: January 18, 2023

Auction Closed

After Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520),..., 1775–1799

After Raphael

After Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520),..., 1775–1799

Sale Date: January 28, 2023

Auction Closed

The Madonna dell'Impannata

After Raphael

The Madonna dell'Impannata

Sale Date: December 7, 2022

Auction Closed

The madonna with the child and John The Baptist

Circle of Raphael

The madonna with the child and John The Baptist

Sale Date: December 8, 2022

Auction Closed

MADONNA MIT KIND

Circle of Raphael

MADONNA MIT KIND

Sale Date: December 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Joseph telling his brothers his dream

Follower of Raphael

Joseph telling his brothers his dream

Sale Date: December 19, 2022

Auction Closed

The Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and...

Follower of Raphael

The Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and...

Sale Date: December 19, 2022

Auction Closed

Saint George and the dragon

In the manner of Raphael

Saint George and the dragon

Sale Date: December 19, 2022

Auction Closed

Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian..., 1620

After Raphael

Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian..., 1620

Sale Date: December 6, 2022

Auction Closed

Madonna della sedia

Style of Raphael

Madonna della sedia

Sale Date: November 25, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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