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)
Moise sauvé des eaux

Style of Raphael

Moise sauvé des eaux

Sale Date: June 29, 2007

Auction Closed

The Madonna Della Sedia

After Raphael

The Madonna Della Sedia

Sale Date: July 3, 2007

Auction Closed

The Madonna del Granduca

After Raphael

The Madonna del Granduca

Sale Date: July 3, 2007

Auction Closed

The Sistine Madonna

After Raphael

The Sistine Madonna

Sale Date: July 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Portrait of Lorenzo de Medici, Duke of Urbino,...

Raphael

Portrait of Lorenzo de Medici, Duke of Urbino,...

Sale Date: July 5, 2007

Auction Closed

La Vierge en promenade

After Raphael

La Vierge en promenade

Sale Date: June 27, 2007

Auction Closed

Bildnis des Papstes Julius II., Ritratto del...

Follower of Raphael

Bildnis des Papstes Julius II., Ritratto del...

Sale Date: June 19, 2007

Auction Closed

La grande sainte famille de François Ier

Follower of Raphael

La grande sainte famille de François Ier

Sale Date: June 18, 2007

Auction Closed

The meeting of the Infants Christ and St. John...

After Raphael

The meeting of the Infants Christ and St. John...

Sale Date: June 9, 2007

Auction Closed

The disputa, 1800–1899

After Raphael

The disputa, 1800–1899

Sale Date: June 13, 2007

Auction Closed

Sjungande änglar, 1800

Follower of Raphael

Sjungande änglar, 1800

Sale Date: May 31, 2007

Auction Closed

Den heliga familjen

Follower of Raphael

Den heliga familjen

Sale Date: May 31, 2007

Auction Closed

Jungfru Maria med Jesusbarnet och Johannes Döparen

After Raphael

Jungfru Maria med Jesusbarnet och Johannes Döparen

Sale Date: May 31, 2007

Auction Closed

The Holy Family, La Perla, 1700–1799

After Raphael

The Holy Family, La Perla, 1700–1799

Sale Date: May 19, 2007

Auction Closed

Sistine Madonna

After Raphael

Sistine Madonna

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Sixtinische Madonna, 1823

After Raphael

Sixtinische Madonna, 1823

Sale Date: May 11, 2007

Auction Closed

The widow's mite (by G.C. Alexander of Dundee)

After Raphael

The widow's mite (by G.C. Alexander of Dundee)

Sale Date: April 26, 2007

Auction Closed

Saint John the Baptist

After Raphael

Saint John the Baptist

Sale Date: April 25, 2007

Auction Closed

La vierge, l'Enfant Jésus et Saint..., 1650–1699

After Raphael

La vierge, l'Enfant Jésus et Saint..., 1650–1699

Sale Date: April 4, 2007

Auction Closed

Madonna mit dem Johannesknaben unter einem Baum...

Circle of Raphael

Madonna mit dem Johannesknaben unter einem Baum...

Sale Date: March 21, 2007

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: February 21, 2007

Auction Closed

The ecstasy of St. Cecilia, 1875–1899

After Raphael

The ecstasy of St. Cecilia, 1875–1899

Sale Date: January 27, 2007

Auction Closed

La Madone à l'Oillet

Follower of Raphael

La Madone à l'Oillet

Sale Date: December 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Madonna mit Kind vor tiefer Landschaft, 1600–1699

After Raphael

Madonna mit Kind vor tiefer Landschaft, 1600–1699

Sale Date: December 8, 2006

Auction Closed

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