 Meet RaphaelBorn Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, Raphael was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance . . . |  Vasari on RaphaelIn his famous book, Lives of the Artists, Vasari called Raphael a "genius" and a "mortal god". He also gave us the juiciest details on Raphael's love life . . . |  Did Raphael marry La Fornarina?An x-ray says yes . . . |
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 Madonna della SeggiolaThis is may be Raphael's "cuddliest" Madonna and Child. |  La FornarinaThis is the painting of the woman Vasari called the one “whom [Raphael] loved until he died.” |  La Donna VelataIs this La Fornarina too? |
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 Madonna and ChildNote the chubby baby and peaceful mother. |  Madonna and ChildA quintessential Raphael Madonna and Child. |  The Colonna AltarpieceThe painting that Theo and Bodhi found ethereal, refined, and . . . eh. |
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 Pope Julius IIThis portrait depicts the most powerful man in Renaissance Europe, warts and all. |  Elisabetta GonzagaUnlike Raphael's perfect Madonnas, his portrait of this noblewoman captures her true character. |  Tommaso InghiramiRaphael masked but didn't hide this clergyman's strabismus, or lazy eye. |
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 Raphael self-portraitLydon thinks Theo is hiding this Raphael portrait, missing since World War II (but in actuality, recently discovered in a European bank vault!). |  Self-portrait with FriendRaphael's (left) hair style and beard are what tip off Theo to her painting's true subject matter. |
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In UNDER THE EGG, Theo was right when she called the painter Raphael one of the "Big Three" of the Italian Renaissance. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, these three artists defined the philosophy and style of the Renaissance and influenced other artists for centuries to come.
Follow the links below to find out more about Raphael and to see some of the paintings referenced in UNDER THE EGG..
Who Was Raphael?