RAPHAEL. 



815 



him superintendent of all the embellishments of 

 this palace, and loaded him with marks of honour. 

 During this time, Raphael produced many other 

 excellent pieces, prepared designs for several pal- 

 aces in Rome and other cities of Italy, and finished 

 the Madonna for the church of St Sixtus in Pia- 

 cenza (now in Dresden), unquestionably one of the 

 master-works of his pencil. The loftiness, dignity, 

 and sublimity, combined with sweetness, grace, 

 and beauty, which reign in this picture, render it 

 inimitable. Other works of this period are St 

 Michael, the portraits of Beatrice of Ferrara, of 

 liis beloved Fornarina, of Carondelet (now in Eng- 

 land), of count Castiglione, and of the beautiful 

 Joanna of Arragon (both in Paris). Of the last 

 there are two excellent copies, which are often 

 represented as the work of tlie artist himself, one 

 in the possession of count Fries at Vienna, the other 

 of \Voclier at Basle. To this time, also, belong the 

 frescoes in the Farnesina, representing the life of 

 Psyche in twelve pictures, and Galatea, all, except 

 the last, executed by his scholars ; also the designs 

 from the fable of Psyche, altogether different from 

 the former, thirty-eight in number, and the Ma- 

 donna della Seggiola (no\v in Paris). It was pro- 

 bably at a later period that Raphael prepared for 

 Augustino Ghigi designs for the building and deco- 

 ration of a chapel in Sta-Maria del Popolo, and for 

 Leo X. the celebrated cartoons (see Cartoons) for 

 the tapestry of one of the chambers of the Vatican. 

 These tapestries were afterwards annually exhibited 

 in the Vatican, on the festival of Corpus Christi, 

 but have lately been dispersed. This is the more 

 to be lamented, since they have often been preferred 

 to the stanze of Raphael, in point of composition, 

 loftiness of character, variety of expression, group- 

 ing, attitudes, &c. For painting the fourth stanza 

 the hall of Constantino, in oil Raphael left only 

 a few sketches, especially of the battle between 

 Constantine and Maxentius, which were used by 

 Giulio Romano and his other scholars, to whom the 

 labour was eventually entrusted. The pictures, 

 however, of Justice and Benignity, in this hall, 

 were probably executed by his own hand. Several 

 easel-pieces also seem to have been executed by 

 him about this period ; among others, John in the 

 Desert (of which there exist several copies, namely, 

 in Florence, in London, in the gallery of the king 

 of the French, in Vienna, and in Darmstadt : the 

 copies are so good, and so much alike, that the 

 original cannot be distinguished, and is not known); 

 his Madonna and Child, on whom an angel is 

 strewing flowers, and a St Margaret. Raphael's 

 last and unfinished painting the Transfiguration 

 of Christ is in the Vatican. Although critics 

 have objected to this painting that it contains two 

 subjects, and consists of two pictures, every one 

 must concede that it is the most perfect master r 

 piece which modern art has produced. The com- 

 position is so noble, the design so perfect, the 

 expression so elevated and sublime, the characters 

 so various, the colouring (as far as it proceeds from 

 Raphael) so true and vigorous, that it surpasses all 

 his other works in these points. The head 01 

 Christ, in which this combination is most admired 

 is said to have been Ins last labour. Attacked by 

 a violent fever, which was increased by improper 

 treatment, this great artist died at the age of thirty- 

 seven years. His body was laid out in state in his 

 study, before his Transfiguration, and consigned 

 with great pomp, to the church of Sta Maria Ro 

 tonda (formerly the Pantheon), where his bones 

 still rest, witli the exception of his skull, which wai 

 afterwards placed in the academy of St Luke. Hi 

 loinb is indicated by his bust, executed by Naldini 



nd placed there by Carlo Maratti, and by the ej i- 

 ,aph of cardinal Bembo 



IUf hie ett Raphael, timuit quo totpite vinci 

 Magna rerum parent, et moriente mart. 



All contemporary authors describe Raphael as 

 tind, obliging, modest, and amiable, equally re- 

 spected and beloved by high and low. The beauty 

 f his figure, and his noble countenance, which in- 

 spired confidence, prepossessed the beholder in his 

 ? avour at first sight. He died unmarried, though 

 jy no means averse to women. In accordance with 

 lis last will, his property went to his favourite 

 scholars, Giulio Romano and Francesco Penni. 

 When we consider the number of Raphael's paint- 

 ngs, however severe we may be in judging of their 

 genuineness, it seems hardly credible that the entire 

 compass of a human life could be sufficient for their 

 xecution. They prove the wonderful fecundity of 

 lis genius, and the facility with which he executed 

 It is moreover to be considered, that Raphael t'ur- 

 u'shed the designs for a great number of pieces 

 ?xecuted by his scholars ; devoted much study to 

 :iis most important paintings (as is shown by the 

 numerous sketches of Madonnas, of the school of 

 Athens, of the Dispute of the Fathers, &c.); and, 

 in many cases, first drew all his figures naked, in 

 order the better to adapt the drapery and its folds 

 to their respective attitudes. And if we further 

 reflect that the supervision of the building of St 

 Peter's church, and the preparation of designs for 

 the erection of other churches and palaces, with 

 several other collateral tasks, were imposed on 

 liim, we must be struck with the highest admiration 

 of his genius. At first, his design conformably with 

 the taste of the times, and the instruction which 

 he had received, was somewhat stiff and dry. After 

 studying with assiduity nature and the antiques, 

 he formed for himself an ideal, which, by its har- 

 mony with nature, touches the feelings, while the 

 Greek ideal rather overpowers by its loftiness. In 

 his manhood, his pencil acquired greater freedom, 

 and his figures became full of life and motion. His 

 drapery, always simple and light, in his latest 

 pieces generally forms large masses, and is excel- 

 lently arranged so as not to conceal the parts 

 intended to be shown. In foreshortening, and in 

 perspective, he was imperfect. In colouring, he 

 was at first dry ; till, taught by Fra Bartolomeo, he 

 consulted nature alone. Although, in this depart- 

 ment of the art, he never reached the excellence of 

 Correggio or Titian, his colours always appearing 

 too heavy and dull, yet his St John in Florence, the 

 Fornarina, and his Transfiguration, show how far 

 he had advanced ; and only from these pictures can 

 we form a judgment ; for his other works, of the 

 best period, were generally executed by his schol- 

 ars, or, at most, retouched by him. The distribu- 

 tion of light and shade Raphael understood very 

 well ; but, with respect to the chiaro-scuro, he is 

 by no means to he compared with the above-men- 

 tioned great coiourists. On the other hand, com- 

 position and expression must almost be considered 

 as Raphael's exclusive property; and in these 

 respects he has never found a rival. He always 

 selected the moment of action which expressed 

 most clearly the dispositions of the actors. Avoid- 

 ing all unnecessary exertion of strength, all excess, 

 occupied solely with the object to be represented, 

 he endeavoured to give to his persons just so much 

 motion as was requisite. Thence it is that we fre- 

 quently find in his works straight, simple attitudes, 

 which are, nevertheless, so beautiful in their place, 

 and leave so much room for the expression of feel- 

 ing. Unlike other artists, he first meditated on the 

 whole of the scene to be represented, and the gen- 



