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Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga

Location
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
About work
Subject and objects: Portrait
Style of art and technique: Renaissance (Renaissance), Tempera

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In the 18th century, this painting was attributed to the school of Giovanni Bellini, in the first half of the 19th it was attributed to Andrea Mantegna, only at the beginning of the 20th century it was established that the work belongs to Raphael (however, there are still those who question his authorship), and is depicted on her wife of the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo da Montefeltro Elisabetta Gonzaga.

“What is he to Gonzaga? What is Gonzaga to him? "

Was Raphael very familiar with Elizabeth? Unlike numerous "Madonnas" and female portraits, the models of which have remained unknown (or, if history has preserved their names, the role in the artist's fate is either completely unclear, or is shrouded in legends in which it is difficult to distinguish truth from fiction), In the case of the model of this portrait, we can answer in the affirmative: yes, Raphael knew her, and very closely.

But to explain the circumstances in which the Duchess and Raphael crossed paths, you need to start with his father, Giovanni Santi. Like his son, he was a native of the Italian city of Urbino. The Duke of Urbino during the Elder Santi was the Condottiere Federigo da Montefeltro - an outstanding Renaissance figure, military leader, politician and art connoisseur. Anyone who is interested in painting of that period, of course, is well aware of the double portrait of Duke Federigo and his wife Battista Sforza, painted by Piero della Francesca: once you see this strong-willed profile with an expressive break in the nose, you will not soon forget it. This outstanding ruler, who conceived of making Urbino an "ideal city", a "palace city", consisted of the court painter Giovanni Santi, Raphael's father.

The sixth child of the duke and his wife Battista was the weak and sickly boy Guidobaldo. He was only 10 years old when Federigo da Montefeltro died in 1482, but it was Guidobaldo who became Duke of Urbino after his father, since all the children born before him were girls. In the National Gallery of the Marche, into which the Urbino palace was transformed over time, there is a dynastic portrait, which depicts Federigo and his little angel-like heir Guidobaldo. We do not know its author for sure: at first it was believed that it was Melozzo da Forli, then - Justus van Gent, now it is more or less unanimously assumed that the portrait was painted by the Spaniard Pedro Berruguete. The most curious thing in this picture is the detailed writing of regalia: Federigo has the order of the ermine on his neck, and under the knee - the order of the garter, and his little son dressed in a dress abundantly covered with large pearls, his forehead and chest are decorated with amethysts resembling zodiacal symbols, and in his hands Guidobaldo holds the scepter of Gonfalonier (in Rome this was the name of the commander-in-chief of the papal troops, in Florence - the head of government and the guarantor of the constitution), although by age he here no more than five years.

So, at the age of 10, Guidobaldo received the duchy, and after 6 years he conceived (or rather, his entourage decided so) to marry. Our heroine, Elisabetta Gonzaga, sister of the Macgrave of Mantua, was chosen as his bride. She was not particularly beautiful and was a little older than the young Duke da Montefeltro, but influential relatives considered her a wonderful party, and Guidobaldo went to the bride in Mantua. Some fiction writers call Elizabeth "an overripe bride" - in our times, this is ridiculous: Guidobaldo was 16, and she was 17. But if we remember how Shakespeare's Paris, wooing 14-year-old Juliet, says to her doubting father, Count Capulet: " I knew happy mothers younger ... ”, this cruel definition will become clearer to us.

When they met, Elizabeth struck the groom, except that she was tall, as for a woman, in stature. It is known that after the signing in Mantua of all the documents relating to the marriage contract, frail Guidobaldo decided to show off in the saddle - and very unsuccessfully. A restive horse threw him off at full gallop, the duke returned to Urbino with broken arms and ribs and a displacement of the cervical vertebrae.

Nevertheless, despite the unfavorable omens, the loud wedding of Elisabetta Gonzaga and Guidobaldo da Montefeltro took place: more than five hundred distinguished guests gathered from different parts of Italy, the festivities lasted until late at night, and Giovanni Santi even composed and staged a three-act comedy in verse in honor of the holiday. to which he himself painted the scenery, and now he began to be considered not just an artist, but something like the minister of education at the ducal court. His son Raphael was about six years old at the time.

"Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"

Was the newly-made Duchess of Urbinsk happy with her lot? Imagine how she found herself in an amazingly magnificent castle, built by the charismatic Federigo, whom she did not have a chance to find. It was designed by the architect Laurana and the best engineers of his time, and Leon Battista Alberti himself advised the construction. The castle was of extraordinary beauty and functionality: hanging gardens, halls decorated famous artists, an inlaid office of the owner, a grand throne room for receptions, and an unprecedented level of household amenities at that time - a plumbing with a re-purification system, a kitchen and a glacier, restrooms that were heated in the same way as the baths of Ancient Rimayu. All this was an extraordinary luxury for its time. When the French philosopher Montaigne, traveling, came to Urbino, he was amazed at the scale of the Montefeltro Palace and recorded in travel notes that there are no fewer rooms and halls than there are days a year.

But family life Elisabetta didn't go well from the start. Pretty soon she became disillusioned with her husband. The painful Guidobaldo (in addition to the displacement of the vertebrae, he suffered from a severe form of gout - a congenital metabolic defect affecting the joints) was not able to conceive an heir. Their marriage remained childless. Perhaps that is why Elisabetta tenderly took care of the growing Raphael. Not so much because she foresaw future successes - rather because of the favor to his parents: the graceful Maggia, Raphael's mother, was the adornment of the duchess's retinue, his father Giovanni was not only an artist and decorator, but also an organizer of all kinds of entertainment at court, including beloved by all knightly tournaments. At the age of 8, Raphael will lose his mother, and the company of an educated, intelligent, exquisitely kind Elizabeth, Duchess of Urbino will contribute to his education and the development of his taste for poetry, sensitivity to beauty. When Giovanni Santi's second wife has a daughter, Elisabetta Gonzaga will agree to become the godmother, so that Raphael's half-sister will also be named Elisabetta in her honor.

For all that, Elizabeth's loyalty to her husband was not in doubt. In 1497, Urbino was surrounded by troops of Cesare Borgia. Broken with gout, Guidobaldo commanded the city's defense, defending the independence of Urbino. Due to severe pain, he could only move on a stretcher, and once the Borgia thugs were kidnapped from the fortress walls of the duke and demanded a fantastic ransom for him. To save her husband, Elizabeth, who was hiding at that time in Mantua, sold her jewelry and mortgaged hereditary land plots, and when this was not enough, she took out a bank loan at an exorbitant interest. It was only thanks to her efforts that the half-dead duke returned home. And the insidious Borgia, having returned Guidobaldo, continued to shamelessly troll him, calling him "dear Italian brother" and sending gifts with subtext: if it turned out to be a silver barrel with oysters - a well-known means of increasing potency, another time - antique sculptures Venus and Eros. Their meaning was obviously mocking. Everyone knew about the intimate trouble of the Montefeltro family. Relatives tried to persuade Elizabeth to divorce her hateful husband and a more advantageous union - the duchess did not succumb.

And what about Raphael?

Raphael will leave for Perugia, then to Florence and, finally, to Rome, but he will gladly come to Urbino from time to time (although his parents will no longer be alive there) precisely because he liked the atmosphere of the ducal court, which is largely determined Elizabeth's personality. Raphael's friend, writer and diplomat Baldassare Castiglione dedicated his famous treatise "The Courtier" to Elizabeth. Reveler Baldassare will write with reverence about the Duchess of Urbinsk that "chastity and dignity are inherent even in her jokes and laughter." (There is a version that Castiglione, leaving in 1506 for England on a diplomatic mission, took with him a portrait of Elizabeth, as he was in love with her. In order not to compromise the duchess, the portrait was hidden from idle eyes under the surface of the mirror. Castiglione mentally conjugated his reflection with the image of his beloved. A thin black frame, according to some scientists, proves that this is exactly the portrait that Baldassare took with him).

According to another version, the 33-year-old duchess ordered this portrait to Raphael in order to send it as a gift to her friend Isabella d'Este, another extraordinary (although plagued by her whims of Leonardo and Titian) woman of her era, who was called la Primadonna del Rinascimento - the prima donna of the Renaissance She was Elizabeth's daughter-in-law - Isabella was married to her brother.

Elisabetta in the portrait is wearing a black dress with geometric gold patterns. Black and gold are not chosen by chance: these are the heraldic colors of Urbino. From jewelry the Duchess is wearing gold chains and an accessory in the form of a scorpion with a precious stone on the forehead. Its meaning is unclear. It is believed that scorpio is related to the esoteric science of melotesia (part of medical astrology), which links the signs of the zodiac with certain parts of the human body. Scorpio, which is characteristic, in this system is responsible for the genitals.

Raphael does not paint portraits of Elisabetta and Guidobaldo in profile, face to face (as Piero della Francesco once did with a paired portrait of Guidobaldo's parents), and does not arrange them in a three-quarter spread, facing each other (although at about the same time, this is exactly how Raphael wrote to the married couple Agnolo and Maddalena Doni). The artist depicts the Duke and Duchess of Urbino strictly from the front. This gives their images a strange immobility and alienation from each other.

“In this diptych of a married couple,” writes Raphael's biographer Alexander Makhov about the portraits of Guidobaldo and Elisabetta, “the young portraitist managed to subtly convey the difficult relationship connecting this childless ruling couple, who did not know mutual affection, not to mention love. The ugly face of the clever 33-year-old Elizabeth reflects the inescapable longing for the feeling of motherhood, which she did not have a chance to know. As for the portrait of her more young spouse, then this is the very expression of weakness and latent ailment that eats away his flesh with a worm. Unlike his strong-willed father, the young ruler of Urbino was a gentle and indecisive person. He was poorly versed in people and usually appointed to leadership positions those who were advised by his wife, who played the role of an intelligent and caring wife-mother. "

For 6 years, Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471-1526) will outlive Raphael (1483-1520) and by as much as 18 - her husband Guidobaldo (1472-1508), in a marriage with whom she often had to live apart and feel lonely. To distant Russia, to the exhibition “Raphael. Poetry of the Image "(September - December 2016) in State Museum fine arts them. Pushkin, Elizabeth also arrived without Guidobaldo, whose portrait remained waiting for her in the Uffizi.

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Details Category: Fine art and architecture of the Renaissance (Renaissance) Published on 12/05/2016 16:54 Hits: 2183

20 portraits do not raise doubts about the belonging of the brush of Raphael (1483-1520). The question of other portraits belonging to the artist is still controversial, and several more Raphael portraits have been lost.

Usually, the work of Raphael Santi is divided into several periods: early (Urbino, Perugia), Florentine, Roman and late. In such a periodization, we will also consider the portrait work of the artist.

Early period of creativity

During this period (from 1483 to 1504) Raphael lived in Urbino and Perugia. The attribution of portraits of this period to Raphael (3 portraits) is still a matter of controversy. They are attributed to the brush of Perugino, Francesco Francia, Lorenzo di Credi and other artists. Only "Portrait of a Young Man" (Pietro Bembo) does not raise doubts about the authorship of Raphael.

Raphael Santi "Portrait of a Young Man" (c. 1504). Oil on board. 54x39. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest (Hungary)

Pietro Bembo(1470-1547) - Italian humanist, cardinal and scientist.
The young man is depicted against the background of a landscape, turning in three quarters, looking at the viewer from right to left. There is a slight smile on his lips, a clear and intelligent look that attracts with inner kindness.
Later, Raphael will portray Pietro Bembo in his famous fresco "School of Athens" at number 19 in the image of Zarathustra (see).

Florentine portraits

In 1504, Raphael moved to Florence, where he was strongly influenced by the work of Leonardo da Vinci. Raphael continues to paint portraits and creates fundamentally new techniques in this genre, which influenced many generations of artists until the 18th-19th centuries.

Rafael Santi "The Boy with the Apple" (c. 1505). Oil on board. 47x35 cm.Uffizi (Florence)

Of the 11 Florentine portraits, the attribution of Raphael to only 4 is controversial. The rest certainly belong to the brush of this artist: "A youth with an apple (Francesco Maria della Rovere) (about 1505)," A lady with a unicorn "," Pregnant "(about 1505-1506)," Mute "," Agnolo Doni "(about 1506) , "Maddalena Strozzi" (c. 1506), "Self-portrait" (c. 1506).

Raphael Santi "The Lady with the Unicorn" (c. 1505-1506)
Oil on wood. 65x61 cm.Borghese Gallery (Rome)

It is believed that the composition of the portrait was created under the influence of "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci (1505-1506). The columns of the loggia framing the figure are similar (in modern form in "Mona Lisa" they are cropped), model pose.
The woman is depicted in a three-quarter turn. She sits in a loggia against the backdrop of a lake landscape. The clothes emphasize her noble origins. On her neck she wears a gold chain with a ruby ​​and emerald pendant with a pear-shaped pearl. On the head is a barely noticeable small diadem.
The lady is holding a small unicorn in her hands. Unicorn – mythical creature, symbolizing chastity (in a broad sense, spiritual purity and seeking). He is represented in the form of a horse with one horn protruding from the forehead. According to medieval legends, only a virgin could tame a unicorn.
Just like Leonardo's La Gioconda, the lady in Raphael's portrait is mysterious, graceful and has not yet been identified: for whom the painting was painted and who served as its model is not clear.

Raphael Santi "Silent" (c. 1507)
Canvas, oil. 64x48 cm.National Gallery of the Marche (Urbino)

The name of the painting is conditional and not entirely understandable, especially since the model is considered to be Elizabeth Gonzaga - the wife of the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo Montefeltro (or sister of the Duke Giovanna). Until 1631, the "Mute" was kept in Urbino, and then was transported to Florence. In the XX century. the painting was returned from the Uffizi to the National Gallery of the Marche, home of the author.
Elizabeth Gonzaga was one of the most educated women of her time. She turned the urban courtyard into a well-known center of the Renaissance culture. The circle of humanists formed here included Baldassare Castiglione and Pietro Bembo, as well as everyone's favorite Raphael, who often came to Urbino.
This portrait also sees a resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, in particular in the three-quarter turn, looking at the viewer from right to left, hair parted in the middle. Both paintings were painted at about the same time; most likely, Raphael deliberately copied the manner of Leonardo.

Roman portraits of Raphael

In 1508, at the invitation of Julius II, Raphael came to Rome and since then until his death has lived in this city. Here Raphael's portrait art reaches perfection.
Most of the portraits of the Roman period depict those close to Pope Julius II and the Pope himself. These portraits are distinguished by deep psychologism, unique individuality and, at the same time, the idealized idea of ​​a person, characteristic of the High Renaissance. The portraits are compositionally balanced, distinguished by subtle nobility. The artist abandons the landscape background in order to focus all attention on the subject.

Raphael Santi "Self-portrait with a friend" (c. 1518). Oil on canvas. 99x83. Louvre (Paris, France)

This period includes 13 portraits, of which the attribution of one to Raphael is controversial, and two works have been lost.

Raphael Santi "Donna Velata" ("The Lady with the Head Covered") (1515-1516)
Canvas, oil. 82x60.5 cm. Palatine Gallery (Palazzo Pitti, Florence)

This is one of the most famous portraits of Raphael Santi.
The model for this work was the beloved of Raphael Fornarin.
Raphael met Fornarina in 1514 in Rome. Commissioned by the banker Agostino Chigi, he worked on the design of the main gallery of his Villa Farnesina. For Chigi, Raphael painted the frescoes The Three Graces and Galatea.
For the fresco Cupid and Psyche, Raphael began to look for a model and once saw the 17-year-old daughter of a baker, Margarita Luti. The nickname "Fornarina" was given to her by Raphael (from Italian fornaro - baker). Their romance lasted 6 years, until the death of the master. Raphael bought his daughter from her father for 3 thousand gold coins and rented a villa for her. After the death of the great artist in 1520, Fornarina went to a monastery.
Pinnacle portrait painting Raphael is considered to be a portrait of his friend Baldassare Castiglione.

Raphael Santi "Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (1515)
Oil on board. 82x67. Louvre (Paris, France)

This is the most famous portrait of Raphael. Baldassare Castiglione- a longtime patron and friend of Raphael. He was a diplomat, philosopher, poet, author of the famous treatise "The Courtier". His image was distinguished by integrity and harmonious balance of character, agreement between his own understanding of the world around him and the reality in which he lived.
Count Castiglione is depicted in adulthood. He is wearing heavy clothes of predominantly dark color and a fashionable hat. His face is calm and welcoming, his gaze is spiritualized, marked by intelligence and kindness. This is the look of a person who understands people - he is benevolent, but at the same time full of sadness and meditation.
The figure of Castiglione is assembled, outlined by a closed line, enveloping the shoulders, hands are joined in the palms.
In creating the portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, Raphael embodied the ideal of the perfect man of the Renaissance.

Raphael's later portraits

Portraits from 1518-1520 were created by Raphael with the participation of Giulio Romano.

Giulio Romano "Self-portrait"

Giulio Romano(1492-1546) - Italian painter and architect, the most significant of the students of Raphael, one of the founders and original representatives of the art of mannerism.
There are 5 portraits of this period: "Isabella Requesens" (about 1518), "Portrait of a Girl" (1518), "Fornarina" (about 1518-1519), "Woman's Head (1520) and" Portrait of a Young Man "(about 1518-1519) - controversial authorship of Raphael.
Late works are marked by coldness, unusual for Raphael, decorative complexity and pretentiousness of color, which are signs of the approach of the Mannerist era.

Raphael Santi (Giulio Romano) "Woman's Head" (1520). Oil on board. 35x30. Estense Gallery (Modena, Italy)

Lady with Scorpion Feronniere

An amazing discovery - I finally found information about a mysterious lady with a scorpion-shaped feronniere !!!

In general, I was collecting information about books in the shape of a heart - I am preparing a detailed post for Valentine's Day, but suddenly, completely unexpectedly, I found what I had been looking for for a long time, pestering with questions to everyone who has even the slightest relation to history and art. :))) Apparently, it was so lying on the surface that it could not even come to mind knowledgeable people what exactly I want to know, what, in fact, I am asking! :)))

(If I understood correctly, this is a copy of her jewelry - a black scopryon is holding a green gem (emerald?) In a gold frame in its paws. I am not strong in such matters and I do not know exactly what it can mean!)

So, I confess my ignorance - that same mysterious lady in the portrait by Raphael, presumably fond of the occult sciences and therefore wearing a feronniere with a pendant in the shape of a scorpion, a lady whose heavy look so struck me when I wandered around the Ufizzi gallery - this is Elizabeth Gonzaga!
One thing pleases - I still remember correctly that this is Raphael. Even though I did not immediately find this picture. :)))))))))

I have not seen anything like it - usually feronnieres were still in the form of one large gem or a rosette of stones.

In favor of the version about magic signs says one fact that I read from Hermann Weiss - during the Renaissance it was fashionable to decorate clothes with some kind of trimmings with letter patterns. Here is a quote from his book "High Renaissance. Italian Renaissance": "Sometimes wide and long sleeves, in imitation of the Burgundian-French fashion, were trimmed from the outside with expensive embroidery of gold or pearls, reproducing some randomly chosen saying." But are they letters or some other symbols? I quote another source (the book "The Courtier" by Balthazar Castiglione), which describes one of her dresses - "a black velvet dress decorated with embroidery in the form of symbols." Perhaps this particular dress is depicted in the picture? However, there is a discrepancy - the described dress was worn in 1506, on the fourth day of wedding celebrations in honor of the wedding of Lucrezia Borgia, whom Elizabeth accompanied, and the time of creation of the portrait is 1504. In addition, Weiss describes the letters as inherent in the fashion of the 14th and 15th centuries, and the portrait was created in the early 16th century. Although, perhaps, such embroidery could not go out of fashion.

I also examined beautiful golden lilies (?), With additional decoration in the form of red and black stones - maybe, is it a Florentine lily after all? Although it is doubtful ... Could all this indirectly indicate that all her decorations have an occult meaning? I also noticed the chains - some kind of medallion behind the bodice?

I nevertheless decided to try to investigate this mysterious story and suggest what this could mean.

Suppose that this scorpio meant her adherence to the occult, then here I am quoting: "Scorpions have always been considered an invariable attribute of sorcerers and witches." in Christianity is negative - "In the Bible, the scorpion, like a snake, is a symbol of demonic forces. In the Revelation of John the Theologian, he is called one of the animals living in the underworld. medieval art scorpion often acted as a symbol of Judas, i.e. a symbol of betrayal, envy and hatred. "So much for you! Could this woman so openly challenge - they say, I'm a witch and I don't care what you think about it? Or was it a warning to her enemies?

(I cannot guarantee that this is a photograph of the original of her portrait, but perhaps - the reproductions seemed to me too dark, I remember that she is lighter - both hair and eyes ).

In addition, there is another fact - the scorpion symbolized Africa, I quote: "In Africa it was believed that the scorpion itself allocates funds against its poison, therefore its symbolism is both negative and positive: it was a symbol of healing on the one hand, and a symbol of murder from the other. In the Middle Ages, the scorpion was considered the emblem of Africa, as a part of the earth. " However, what relation could an Italian aristocrat have to Africa? Did you read the works of Roman historians, did you find something special there?

However, in the East and in Egypt, the scorpion was not considered completely bad - scorpions guarded Isis, for example ... or, again, I quote: "Scorpio is a symbol of evil, self-destruction, death, punishment, retribution, revenge, betrayal, but also a deep understanding of the world. Sometimes the scorpion serves as a talisman and amulet - Paracelsus advised people suffering from diseases of the reproductive system to wear it. " (I read that her husband had problems, but not her ...) I read somewhere else that he was worn in the same way as a protection from evil forces. More details:

Her husband, Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, was seriously ill with gout from his very youth, which "poisoned him with family joys," but Elizabeth probably loved her husband of the same age and did not get divorced - Guidobaldo, with his physical weakness, was a smart man and educated, philanthropist, patron of artists and writers, the founder of the university. His courtyard was one of the most brilliant and sophisticated in that golden age of the Renaissance! Why shouldn't Elizabeth prefer spiritual love - to a person, judging by the portrait, refined, the ruler of an interesting society of educated people - after all, she herself was very educated? She never married a second time, although she was still young - 36 years old - and there were marriage proposals?

What's more interesting - the scorpion was also considered a symbol of Logic, i.e. perhaps there is an allusion to "The Seven Comprehensive Arts" - all the more, it was to this woman that the book "The Courtier" was dedicated, which was built as her answers to some questions.

It also symbolized the Earth and royal power. I quote from the "Courtier": "... The soul of each of us was filled with extraordinary happiness whenever we gathered in the presence of Signora Duchess ... For the chastity and dignity inherent in all actions, words and gestures of Signora Duchess, her jokes and laughter, even those who had never seen her before were forced to recognize her as a great empress. " ( Per. O.F. Kudryavtseva) There are very, very many options, and it is difficult for me to choose what exactly this sign could mean - it is possible that everything is together. :)

Once again her portrait, a different color ...

I will also try to consider the astrological version that we discussed with - after all, I am not a professional astrologer and I have forgotten almost everything I learned. :) Scorpio could not be her sun sign, because she was born on February 9th. If the Scorpio is on the ascendant, then this affects the appearance - here is one of the descriptions: "The lips are small and thick. The nose is well expressed, and the bridge of the nose is high and bony or with a hump. You have a piercing, burning gaze. This is especially noticeable when a scorpion on the ascendant. the face is mostly square in shape, the eyes are widely spaced, the lower jaw is also square and heavy. the ears are small and close to the head. the mouth is large, with full sensual tubes, and their corners are lowered. " - fits? Not sure. Unfortunately, I lost my lecture. in which this particular ascendant was described, but I don’t remember from memory - after all, 6 years have passed since my graduation from the astrological school and the moment when I stopped studying astrology.

Oil on wood. 45 x 31 cm.Borghese Gallery, Rome

Early Raphael was greatly influenced by his teacher Perugino and northern masters. In the 19th century, this " Portrait of a man"Raphael, who can be attributed to the period of his youth (c. 1502), was attributed Holbein, and then Perugino, until the general opinion of art critics sided with Giovanni Morelli, who considered Raphael to be the author of the painting. Judging by the shape of the hat, the portrait depicts some kind of duke. His type is somewhat idealized thanks to the excellent modeling of volumes, loose hair and lively facial expression. This approach to portraiture is very different from the realistic style. northern artists, who tried to convey with complete accuracy all the details of the person, not excluding defects.

Raphael. Portrait of a man. OK. 1502

Raphael. Portrait of Elizabeth Gonzaga. OK. 1503

Oil on wood. 53 x 37 cm.Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The exquisite portraits of Elisabeth Gonzaga and (now in the Uffizi Gallery) were painted by Raphael as a young man. Elizabeth Gonzaga was the sister of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquise of Mantua and by her husband the Duchess of Urbino. Her husband was Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. They married in 1489.

Raphael. Elizabeth Gonzaga. OK. 1503

Elizabeth has a scorpion on her forehead. Her hairstyle is in the style of the late 15th century when she came to Urbino as Guidobaldo's fiancée. The black and gold dress reflects the fashion of the same time. In addition, these colors were generic in the Montefeltro family.

Raphael. Portrait of Pietro Bembo. OK. 1504

Oil on wood. 54 x 39 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

In early catalogs, this painting was considered a portrait of Raphael by Bernardo Luini. She was later recognized as a portrait of Pietro Bembo, which Raphael created during Pietro's stay at the court of Urbino. Bembo later became a cardinal. A well-known portrait of him in old age, painted by Titian.

Raphael. Portrait of Pietro Bembo. OK. 1504

The portrait of Pietro Bembo, one of the earliest by Raphael, represents the artist's art in the early years of the 16th century, in the transition period from his early works in the style of the Umbrian school to the Florentine period. A young man in a red robe and cap is presented against the backdrop of a landscape of gentle, hilly Umbrian countryside. Pietro's hair, hanging in long strands, as was fashionable at the time, borders a pretty face. Both hands rest on the parapet, in the right Bembo holds a folded sheet of paper. Because of its resemblance to Raphael's early Florentine self-portrait, this painting has long been considered another of his self-portrait, although some scholars were convinced that it was a portrait of some young cardinal. Recent studies, however, have identified this painting with the one that the Venetian Marcantonio Mikiel once saw in the Padua study of Pietro Bembo. She depicted Bembo in his youth and was painted by the young Raphael when he met Bembo at the Urbino court in 1506.

Raphael. Portrait of a man. OK. 1504

Oil on wood. 51 x 37 cm.Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Both the personality of the person depicted and the authorship of this painting are still the subject of controversy. Raphael's authorship is supported by most modern scholars. Among those from whom this portrait could have been painted are the Italian painter Perugino (Raphael's teacher) and the German church reformer, the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther.

Raphael. Portrait of a man. OK. 1504

Raphael. Portrait of a man. OK. 1502-1504

Oil on board. 47 x 37 cm.Lichtenstein Museum, Vienna

This painting bears some resemblance to the portrait of Francesco delle Opera by Perugino. Previously, Perugino was recognized as its author. However, now many are inclined to consider this painting the work of Raphael, emphasizing its stylistic similarity with other portraits by Raphael of this period, such as the portrait of Agnolo Doni.

Raphael. Portrait of a man. OK. 1502

Raphael. A young man with an apple. 1505

Oil on wood. 47 x 35 cm.Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The portrait of a youth with an apple (1505), kept in the Uffizi gallery, is associated with paintings on the theme of St. Michael and St. George. Determining his authorship created difficulties: although this portrait is beautifully drawn, it lacks the physiognomic characteristics typical of Raphael's characters. But the author's close attention to the analytical effects of Flemish art prompts researchers to ascribe "The Young Man with the Apple" to Raphael, since his attention in those years was occupied by the Flemish school. In addition, compositional harmony is clearly visible in the compact forms of this well-thought-out portrait - the main distinguishing feature of Raphael's art.

Raphael. A young man with an apple. 1505

It was believed that this portrait depicts Francesco Maria della Rovere, and this opinion is apparently correct: the portrait came to Florence with the legacy of della Rovere in 1631, during the marriage of Vittoria della Rovere with the future Grand Duke Ferdinand II.

Raphael. Portrait of a Woman (Donna Gravida). 1505-1506

Oil on wood panel. 66 x 52 cm Palatine Gallery (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

Raphael. Portrait of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro. OK. 1507

The fact that it is Guidobaldo who is depicted in this painting is confirmed by a convincing comparison with his own portrait in an illustrated manuscript from the Ducal library in Urbino.

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Raphael Santi. Fragment of the work "Madonna Granduca", 1504, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin will present in September the first exhibition in Russia of several masterpieces by Raphael Santi. The exhibition will open on September 13 and run until December 11, 2016. Eleven works by one of the greatest masters of the Italian Renaissance - eight paintings and three graphic sheets, from Italian museum collections, including the Uffiza gallery, will be shown in Moscow.
The organizers, despite a small amount of works at the exhibition, we tried to select them in such a way as to fully reflect different periods creativity of Raphael.

Paired with a sketch will be shown "Madonna and Child (Madonna Granduca)" from the Uffizi Gallery, painted shortly after Raphael's move to Florence and dating back to his early period. It is believed that in this picture, connections with the style of Leonardo da Vinci are especially clearly read, and it became known about her in late XVIII century, when the director of the Uffizi Gallery, Tommaso Puccini, informed the ruler of Tuscany, Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Lorraine, about the possibility of purchasing Raphael's work. He was so impressed with the painting that he placed it in his bedroom, so she became the "Madonna of the Grand Duke."

Raphael Santi. Madonna Granduca, 1504

The gallery of portraits will open with a small "Self-portrait" by Raphael, which he painted at the age of 23, and will continue with the ceremonial portraits of Agnolo Doni and his wife Maddalena Strozzi, a portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga (all from the Uffizi Gallery) and a woman's portrait known as "Mute" from the National Gallery Marche (Urbino).

Raphael Santi. Self-portrait, 1504-1506

Raphael Santi. Portrait of Agnolo Doni, 1506

Raphael Santi. Portrait of Maddalena Doni, 1506

Raphael Santi. Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga, 1505

Raphael Santi. Female portrait(Mute), 1507

The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts will also present two altar works by the artist - the painting "Saint Cecilia", which was made for the church of San Giovanni in Monte in Bologna (now located in the National Pinacoteca, Bologna) and "Angel's Head" - one of the three surviving details of the altar "Coronation of St. Nicholas" commissioned by Andrea Baronchi for his home chapel of the Church of San Agostinho in Citta de Castello. It dates back to 1501 and is Raphael's earliest work at the Moscow exhibition, while Saint Cecilia, on the other hand, is the latest.

Raphael Santi. Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia, 1517

Raphael Santi. St. Mary Magdalene, fragment of the altar "Ecstasy of St. Cecilia"

"Angel" will be brought from Art gallery Tosio Martinengo in Brescia.

Raphael Santi. Angel, 1501

In 2020, the 500th anniversary of the death of Rafael Santi will be widely celebrated around the world. Exhibition at the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin will be the first in a series significant events dedicated to this date. The preparation of Raphael's exhibition is under the patronage of the Italian Embassy in the Russian Federation and personally Ambassador Cesare Maria Ragaglini.
"It is unlikely that we will be able to repeat something like this exhibition in the next five years, some of the paintings have never left Italy. It seems to me that the scientific level will be the largest and most important exhibition of Raphael in the whole world. cultural diplomacy in Russia ", - said the Italian Ambassador to the Russian Federation Cesare Maria Ragaglini.

Previously, only a few of the artist's works were exhibited at the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin in the framework of various exhibitions. In 1989, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts exhibited "Donna Velata" by Raphael Santi from the collection of the Palatina Gallery (Palazzo Pitti, Florence). In 2004, this canvas was brought back to Moscow as part of the "Italy - Russia" exhibition.

Raphael Santi. Donna Velata (Veiled Woman, portrait of Fornarina), 1516

In 2011, Pushkinsky showed "The Lady with the Unicorn" from the Borghese Gallery in Rome.

Raphael Santi. The lady with the unicorn, 1504

Two early paintings by Raphael are kept in Russia, both in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Raphael Santi. Madonna Conestabile. 1502-04

Raphael Santi. Holy Family (Madonna with a beardless Joseph), 1506

Based on materials from TASS and the website of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin