 |
| Processional Banner of the Confraternity of the Santissima Trinità, Città di Castello: The Holy Trinity with Saints Sebastian and Roch (obverse); The Creation of Eve (reverse), ca. 1497-99, oil on canvas (obverse and reverse now framed side by side), Raphael |
After attending the Traditional Latin Mass on Sunday, we made our way into Manhattan to finally see Raphael: Sublime Poetry, the exhibition currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through June 28th.
I have said it before, but it bears repeating: there is nothing like seeing great works in person. No reproduction—whether in print or digital—can fully capture their presence. I appreciated Raphael before, but I did not truly understand his genius, his divine gift, until I stood before these works myself.
The portraits alone are extraordinary: La Fornarina, Baldassarre Castiglione, and Bindo Altoviti reveal a depth and humanity that is difficult to describe. His Madonnas and Child, angels, and saints possess a serenity and grace that seem to transcend the material. The small Madonna of the Pinks, in particular, is utterly enchanting.
Beyond the paintings, the exhibition includes an astonishing range of works: drawings in charcoal and pen and ink, tapestries, ceramics, engravings, marble and terracotta reliefs, books, and bronze medallions. In total, over 170 masterpieces and rarely seen pieces—many from private collections and seldom displayed together—fill the galleries.
As the first comprehensive exhibition of Raphael’s work in the United States, it naturally draws large crowds—so be prepared. More than usual, it was encouraging to see so many families, especially those with young children, taking the time to introduce them to these works. I was especially struck by the strong presence of East Asian families, whose children seemed genuinely attentive and engaged.
It is difficult not to feel some sadness that many Westerners do not show the same level of reverence for their own artistic and cultural inheritance. Standing in those rooms, surrounded by such beauty, one is reminded of what has been achieved—and what is at risk of being forgotten.
~ By Giovanni di Napoli, May 4th, Feasts of St. Monica and St. Florian
 |
| (L) Portrait of Bindo Altoviti, ca. 1515-16, oil on wood, Raphael. (R) Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione, 1514-16, oil on canvas, Raphael |
 |
| (L) Angel in Bust-Length (Fragment from the Baronci Altarpiece), ca. 1500-1501, oil with gold highlights on canvas, transferred from wood, Raphael. (R) Saint Sebastian in Half-Length, ca. 1502-3, oil and tempera grassa with gold highlights on wood, Raphael |
 |
| (L) Copy after Leonardo's Standing Leda and the Swan, 1515-30, oil and tempera grassa on poplar wood, Sixteenth-century Lombard artists near Cesare da Sesto (1477-1523). (R) Portrait of the Nude Fornarina (La Fornarina), ca. 1518-20, oil on wood, Raphael and Giulio Romano (Giulio Pippi, 1499? -1546) |
 |
| (L) The Virgin and Child in a Landscape (The Small Cowper Madonna), ca. 1505, oil on wood, Raphael. (R) The Virgin and Child (The Niccolini-Cowper Madonna; or, The Large Cowper Madonna), 1508, oil on wood (probably poplar), Raphael |
 |
| (L) The Virgin and Child in an Interior (The Madonna of the Pinks), ca. 1506-7, oil on wood (yew), Raphael. (R) The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Saints Elizabeth and Joseph (The Madonna del Divino Amore), ca. 1516-18, oil on wood, Raphael and Giulio Romano (Giulio Pippi, 1499?-1546) [Everything is related to Naples: Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples] |
 |
| (L) The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Esterhazy Madonna), ca. 1508, oil and tempera grassa on poplar wood, Raphael. (R) The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Alba Madonna), ca. 1509-11, oil on canvas, transferred from wood, Raphael |
 |
| (L) The Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia with Saints Paul, John the Evangelist, Augustine, and Mary Magdalen, ca. 1515-16, oil on canvas, transferred from wood, Raphael. (R) The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (The Madonna of the Rose, or Madonna della Rosa), ca. 1517-18, oil on canvas, Raphael |
 |
| (L) Deësis (Christ in Glory with the Virgin Mary and Saints John the Baptist, Catherine, and Paul), ca. 1519-20, oil and tempera grassa on wood, Giulio Romano Giulio Pippi; 14992-1546. (R) The Vision of Ezekiel, ca. 1515-16, oil on wood, Raphael |
