Raphael (1483-1520) Italy

Raphael was an Italian artist, archaeologist and architect of the High Renaissance. Among others, Raphael studied with Perugino, which was pivotal to his early work. He often tried to imitate his teacher’s style, and was so successful that the authorship of some works is disputed today. Raphael moved to Florence and there, he was introduced to the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Bartolommeo and Michelangelo. Pope Leo X made Raphael head architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Raphael’s portraits are emotional and finely tuned, and skillfully captured the character of his models. Sadly, only a few of Raphael’s works are preserved, including the Church of Sant'Eligio degli Orefici. Raphael died of fever at just 37 years old.