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)
Juicio de Salomón

After Raphael

Juicio de Salomón

Sale Date: March 6, 2014

Auction Closed

José vendido por sus hermanos

After Raphael

José vendido por sus hermanos

Sale Date: March 6, 2014

Auction Closed

La huida de Canaán

After Raphael

La huida de Canaán

Sale Date: March 6, 2014

Auction Closed

The Holy Family and John the Baptist, 1700–1899

After Raphael

The Holy Family and John the Baptist, 1700–1899

Sale Date: February 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Delle loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano (set of 66)

After Raphael

Delle loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano (set of 66)

Sale Date: January 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Head of a mother and child

Studio of Raphael

Head of a mother and child

Sale Date: January 29, 2014

Auction Closed

La Vierge de Lorette, 1550

After Raphael

La Vierge de Lorette, 1550

Sale Date: December 13, 2013

Auction Closed

La Madone à la chaise, 1800–1899

After Raphael

La Madone à la chaise, 1800–1899

Sale Date: December 11, 2013

Auction Closed

An apostle carrying a gospel and a martyr's palm

Circle of Raphael

An apostle carrying a gospel and a martyr's palm

Sale Date: December 5, 2013

Auction Closed

Virgin Mary with Jesus and John Baptist

After Raphael

Virgin Mary with Jesus and John Baptist

Sale Date: December 1, 2013

Auction Closed

Allegorie der Justitia

Follower of Raphael

Allegorie der Justitia

Sale Date: December 10, 2013

Auction Closed

La Vierge et l'Enfant Jésus, 1600–1699

After Raphael

La Vierge et l'Enfant Jésus, 1600–1699

Sale Date: November 27, 2013

Auction Closed

The Madonna del Divino Amore (After the School...

School of Raphael

The Madonna del Divino Amore (After the School...

Sale Date: December 3, 2013

Auction Closed

The Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

The Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: December 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Madonna mit Kind und dem Johannesknaben (Madonna

Follower of Raphael

Madonna mit Kind und dem Johannesknaben (Madonna

Sale Date: November 19, 2013

Auction Closed

Vierge à l'enfant, 1875–1899

After Raphael

Vierge à l'enfant, 1875–1899

Sale Date: October 25, 2013

Auction Closed

The Vision of Saint Cecilia, 1700

After Raphael

The Vision of Saint Cecilia, 1700

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Der Heilige Johannes der Täufer

Circle of Raphael

Der Heilige Johannes der Täufer

Sale Date: October 15, 2013

Auction Closed

Madonna Della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna Della Sedia

Sale Date: September 23, 2013

Auction Closed

Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, bust length,...

Circle of Raphael

Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, bust length,...

Sale Date: September 24, 2013

Auction Closed

Madonna Della Seggiola

Attributed to Raphael

Madonna Della Seggiola

Sale Date: July 14, 2013

Auction Closed

Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the

Circle of Raphael

Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the

Sale Date: July 4, 2013

Auction Closed

La Belle Jardinière, 1675–1699

After Raphael

La Belle Jardinière, 1675–1699

Sale Date: July 3, 2013

Auction Closed

La Vierge à la promenade, 1800–1899

After Raphael

La Vierge à la promenade, 1800–1899

Sale Date: June 26, 2013

Auction Closed

English (US)

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