2-693-945 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'The Madonna Del Gran Duca', 1505, (c1912). 'Madonna del Granduca', painting in the Galleria Palatina, Florence, Italy. The painting belonged to Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, hence its name. Italian High Renaissance painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520), known as Raphael, left a large body of work despite his death at 37. He spent time in Florence, as well as twelve years in Rome working for two Popes. He made frescoes and oil paintings on religious and mythological subjects as well as portraits, and also produced plans for St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He is regarded as one of the most important artists of his time, with his work being held in museums and galleries around the world. Illustration from Raphael - Masterpieces in Colour, by Paul G Konody. [TC & EC Jack, Frederick A Stokes Co, London & New York, c1912]