Читать книгу Raphael - Eugène Müntz - Страница 7

In the month of October 1504 Raphael arrived in Florence with the firm intention of seeking his fortune in this artistic capital of Italy.

Portrait of Maddalena Doni

1505–1506

Oil on wood, 65 × 45.8 cm

Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Reali, Florence

He had asked his patron, Duchess Giovanna della Rovere, to give him a letter of recommendation to the Gonfaloniere Pietro Soderini, and it was under the auspices of this great lady that he met the leader of the Florentine Republic.

All indications lead us to believe that Raphael, who was then a follower of the Florentine school, did not think or act in any other way. Antiquity, to use the felicitous expression of Quatremère de Quincy, was like a mirror helping to see nature better.

Madonna of the Meadow, known as Belvedere Madonna

1505–1506

Oil on canvas, 113 × 88.5 cm

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

He used it to interpret the model more freely, to lend greatness to his manner, nobility to his symbols, and more fullness and simplicity to the drapery; in short, to get closer to the laws of classical beauty.

But it was in the studio of Baccio d’Agnolo especially that Raphael made many useful acquaintances. Baccio, like many of his contemporaries, practised not only architecture but also wood sculpture and marquetry.

Holy Family with Beardless Saint Joseph