Raphael and his circle - an exhibition on the 500th anniversary of his passed away

In celebration of the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death, the National Gallery of Art organized an exhibition of his paintings.

Jonathan Bober, Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, discusses how Raphael's art shaped the standard of aesthetic excellence for later artists, connoisseurs, and scholars.

The exhibition features drawings by Raphael.

The ‘Saint George and the Dragon’

Raphael painted it c. 1505, and it is now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It is a small oil on wood cabinet painting.

This panel is one of the best-known images of Saint George that was meant to be seen at close range.

Some elements of Raphael's painting were inspired by Leonardo's cartoon for the fresco of The Battle of Anghiari. For example, the horse and the rider's fluttering cape can be traced through Raphael's drawings of Leonardo's influential design.

The ‘Belle Jardinière’

The 'La Belle Jardinière' or the 'Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist' is an oil on-panel painting. It was finished around 1507-1508 and is currently displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

This painting is regarded as one of the most famous Madonna portraits and the peak of Raphael's achievements during his time in Florence.

When Raphael left Florence, the painting had not finished yet. Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio later finished it around 1507, especially completing the blue robe of Mary.

The prophets Hosea and Jonah
Raphael drew it around 1510 as a preparatory study for a fresco in the Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria della Pace in Rome.

In addition, the exhibition introduces nine drawings by Raphael's closest collaborators and followers, including Giulio Romano, Polidoro da Caravaggio, and Perino del Vaga. And ten engravings, as well as a chiaroscuro woodcut, by the earliest interpreters of Raphael's designs: Marcantonio Raimondi and his followers Agostino dei Musi and Marco Dente, as well as Ugo da Carpi.