When is a Raphael a 'real' Raphael?

Monday, 26 February 2007 00:23

The painting you're looking at, the de Brecy Tondo   just might be from the hand of the Italian Renaissance master Raphael; Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520).  The Tondo  isn't signed, but it looks a lot like one of Raphael's most famous works, the Sistine Madonna. Never heard of the Sistine Madonna ? Well, you've probably seen her before--and you've almost certainly seen the angels that are at her feet.

Some scholars think Raphael painted the Tondo  as a rough draft for his masterpiece Madonna. Others have argued that it's just a 19th-century knockoff. Now, a British scientist is weighing in with new forensic evidence, found during a two-year, laser-powered look at three flecks of Tondo  paint.

He concludes that the painting "is consistent with an early, pre-1700, Renaissance work." So, it just might be a real Raphael. Then again, it might be a Renaissance era rip-off. Honestly, we'll probably never know whether Raphael really painted it. But we do know a bit about the real Raphael.

His Father's Little Master

Born in Urbino, Italy, in 1483, Raphael's artistic career began early. His father was a well-regarded artist in his own right, and Raphael likely helped tend the family studio from a young age. Sadly, both of Raphael's parents died before he reached his teens. He then lived with an uncle for a time before moving to Perugia to work with Perugino, a famous painter.

By 1500, when Raphael was just 17, people were describing him as a magister  ("master"). By 1504, he was producing magisterial pieces like Marriage of the Virgin, with its dazzling use of perspective and geometrical composition. This excellent artist studied the old paintings of Masaccio at Florence, and the works of Leonardo and Michelangelo which he saw induced him to study hard, and brought about an extraordinary improvement in his art and style. While at Florence Raphael became very friendly with Fri Bartolommeo of S. Marco, whose coloring pleased him greatly, arid this he tried to imitate. On his part he taught the good father the methods of perspective, which he had previously neglected.

That same year, Raphael left Perugia for Florence, where he discovered new inspiration in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Fra Bartolommeo. During his Florentine period, Raphael produced paintings like La Belle Jardinière, featuring less geometry and more anatomy--not to mention the serenity that became one of his signatures.

Italy's Hot Painter

In 1508, Pope Julius II called Raphael to Rome to paint frescoes on his palace walls. Raphael was just 25, and had little frescoing experience, but that didn't stop him from producing The School of Athens, among other artistic marvels. Not content with being Rome's hottest painter, Raphael also delved into architecture. He mastered that, too, and for a time was put in charge of rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica (it was later re-rebuilt).

Despite a hectic schedule, Raphael continued to produce masterpieces, including the emotional  Transfiguration--until his premature death from a fever in 1520. His work was inspirational to the end, and after. Over the centuries, countless critics have styled him the greatest painter of all time--the man aspiring artists should imitate. Imitation, of course, is the sincerest form of flattery, but it can make telling a real 500 year old Raphael from a mere pretender very difficult.

by--Steve Sampson