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 della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: May 17, 1995

Auction Closed

The Marriage of the Virgin

After Raphael

The Marriage of the Virgin

Sale Date: May 11, 1995

Auction Closed

Portrait of a lady

In the manner of Raphael

Portrait of a lady

Sale Date: April 24, 1995

Auction Closed

Holy Family with Sts. Elizabeth and John the...

Circle of Raphael

Holy Family with Sts. Elizabeth and John the...

Sale Date: April 24, 1995

Auction Closed

The Sistine Madonna

After Raphael

The Sistine Madonna

Sale Date: April 13, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John

After Raphael

Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John

Sale Date: April 12, 1995

Auction Closed

Etude d'ange

After Raphael

Etude d'ange

Sale Date: April 10, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna, Child and St. Joseph

In the manner of Raphael

Madonna, Child and St. Joseph

Sale Date: April 7, 1995

Auction Closed

Portrait de jeune homme sur fond de paysage

Follower of Raphael

Portrait de jeune homme sur fond de paysage

Sale Date: April 7, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna dell Seggiola

After Raphael

Madonna dell Seggiola

Sale Date: April 4, 1995

Auction Closed

The council of the gods

After Raphael

The council of the gods

Sale Date: April 3, 1995

Auction Closed

La bella Giardiniera

After Raphael

La bella Giardiniera

Sale Date: March 20, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna of the chair, 1925–1950

After Raphael

Madonna of the chair, 1925–1950

Sale Date: March 19, 1995

Auction Closed

Portrait of a young girl in turban

After Raphael

Portrait of a young girl in turban

Sale Date: March 18, 1995

Auction Closed

Mariage de Joseph et Marie

After Raphael

Mariage de Joseph et Marie

Sale Date: March 14, 1995

Auction Closed

The Madonna of the Goldfinch

After Raphael

The Madonna of the Goldfinch

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

The Madonna and Child

In the manner of Raphael

The Madonna and Child

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna del Cardellino

After Raphael

Madonna del Cardellino

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

Madonna della Sedia

After Raphael

Madonna della Sedia

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

The vision of Ezekiel

After Raphael

The vision of Ezekiel

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

La belle jardinière

After Raphael

La belle jardinière

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

The Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John...

In the manner of Raphael

The Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John...

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

The Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John...

In the manner of Raphael

The Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John...

Sale Date: February 23, 1995

Auction Closed

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