The Story Behind these Raphael Prints

Raphael (1483-1520), full name Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, was a painter and architect of the High Renaissance period. He was highly productive and left a large body of work, despite his early death at the age of 37. Along with Da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raphael prints are considered to be amongst the finest works of the High Renaissance period.

Famous for his frescos in the Apostolic Palace (now part of the Vatican Museums), the Sistine Madonna, Transfiguration and The School of Athens, Raphael prints are celebrated for their supreme clarity and became a cornerstone of the training of the Academies of Art.

Raphael’s father, a court painter, died when he was eleven and Raphael appears to have taken a role in managing the family workshop from this point. After working in several Northern Italian cities, Raphael was invited to Rome by the Pope to work on the Vatican Palace.