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Painter, 1483 to 1520

Raphael

Raphael arrived in Rome in 1508, aged twenty-five, and was put to work on the walls of the pope's apartment. He never left. He died in the city at thirty-seven, the most admired painter alive.

Born
1483, Urbino, Italy
Died
1520, Rome, Italy
Movement
High Renaissance
In Rome
5 works in 4 museums

Where to see Raphael in Rome

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

Vatican Museums2 works

  1. The School of Athens by Raphael: philosophers gathered on steps under a great vault, with Plato and Aristotle at the centre.

    The School of Athens

    1509 to 1511

    The philosophers of Greece gathered under a great vault, with Plato and Aristotle at the centre. It is one wall of the Stanza della Segnatura, the first of the four Raphael Rooms, on the way to the Sistine Chapel.

  2. The Transfiguration by Raphael: Christ floating in light above, and below a crowd around a possessed boy.

    The Transfiguration

    1516 to 1520

    His last painting, unfinished at his death and carried at the head of his funeral procession. It hangs in the picture gallery, the Pinacoteca, which most visitors walk past.

Galleria Borghese1 work

  1. The Deposition by Raphael: the body of Christ carried by two men, with the mourning women behind.

    The Deposition

    1507

    The dead Christ carried to the tomb, painted in Perugia for a mother who had lost her son. It was taken from its church by night in 1608 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese.

Palazzo Barberini1 work

  1. La Fornarina by Raphael: a young woman in a turban, half undressed, with a blue band on her arm.

    La Fornarina

    about 1518 to 1520

    A half-length portrait of a young woman, by tradition the baker's daughter he loved. Her armband carries his name.

Villa Farnesina1 work

  1. The Triumph of Galatea by Raphael: a nymph in a red cloak riding a shell drawn by dolphins, with cupids aiming arrows above.

    The Triumph of Galatea

    about 1512

    A sea nymph riding a shell drawn by dolphins, painted on the wall of a banker's villa in Trastevere.

The life of Raphael

Raphael was born in Urbino in 1483, the son of a court painter, and learned his calm from Perugino. Pope Julius II brought him to Rome in 1508 to paint his private apartment, and was so pleased with the first room that he gave him all the others.

In Rome he became painter, architect of St Peter's and keeper of the city's antiquities at once, with a large workshop to carry out his designs. He died on 6 April 1520, his thirty-seventh birthday, and was buried in the Pantheon, where his tomb can be seen.

What to know

  • Painted the School of Athens in the Vatican
  • His last painting, the Transfiguration, is in the Vatican picture gallery
  • Buried in the Pantheon, at his own request
Born
6 April 1483, Urbino, Italy
Died
6 April 1520, Rome, Italy

Raphael: common questions

Where can you see Raphael in Rome?
At the Vatican Museums: The School of Athens and The Transfiguration. At the Galleria Borghese: The Deposition. At Palazzo Barberini: La Fornarina. At Villa Farnesina: The Triumph of Galatea. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is Raphael's most famous work in Rome?
The School of Athens, of 1509 to 1511, at the Vatican Museums. The philosophers of Greece gathered under a great vault, with Plato and Aristotle at the centre. It is one wall of the Stanza della Segnatura, the first of the four Raphael Rooms, on the way to the Sistine Chapel.
When and where was Raphael born?
On 6 April 1483, at Urbino, Italy. Raphael died on 6 April 1520, at Rome, Italy, aged about 37.
What is Raphael known for?
Painted the School of Athens in the Vatican. His last painting, the Transfiguration, is in the Vatican picture gallery. Buried in the Pantheon, at his own request. Raphael was an Italian painter, of the High Renaissance.

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