Raphael Sanzio

Born Raffaello Sanzio on April 6, 1483 in Urbino, Italy, Raphael received his early training form his father, a court painter. He exhibited his talent early, studying in the late 1490's in Perugia with Perugino. While there he became considered a "master" and completed many paintings, including The Three Graces. He left to study in Florence with the other High Renaissance artists Da Vinci and Michelangelo. He spent his last years in Rome where he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint frescoes in the Vatican. He died on his birthday in 1520 in Rome. Raphael is best know for his allegorical and religious images, his perfectly balanced Madonnas, his plump, cherubic angels and the Vatican frescoes, which include his masterpiece the School of Athens. He is considered a master painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance and was called in his day, "the prince of painters."

Raphael Sanzio Images:
Detail from a Loggia in the Vatican I
Sistine Madonna (detail)
St. catherine of Alexandria (detail)
The Madonna Del Granduca
The School of Athens (Detail, Left Foreground)
The School of Athens (Detail, Right Foreground)