He was interested in and influenced by Signorelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Frà Bartolommeo, and Masaccio almost simultaneously; then he abruptly reverted to the Perugino manner. More than once the observer feels completely disoriented, and yet, through all of these apparent contradictions, Raphael continued to grow and advance.

      It is this period, in all probability, that produced the charming little painting, now in the National Gallery in London, The Vision of a Knight. It is the first time that we see Raphael portraying a secular subject, and he does so with a charm and loftiness fit to discourage even the most eminent master.

      Warrior on Horseback with a Shield

      1505

      Pen and ink, 25.7 × 21 cm

      Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice

      Through a stroke of genius, the young master, leaving mythology aside, sought his inspiration in a less distant, more real, tradition. He called upon these centuries so rich in poetry, these Middle Ages which Pulci and Boiardo had made interesting; he chose to evoke that knighthood whose noble aspirations and high exploits could rival those of classical heroes. The form of a dream, a vision, which he gives to the scene further adds, if such is possible, to the delicacy and depth of the artist’s conception.

      Standard Bearer

      1505

      Pen and ink, 25.7 × 21 cm

      Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice

      Raphael Returns to Urbino

      Meanwhile, his lengthy stay in Umbria had not caused Raphael to forget his native city, his beloved Urbino. Once he had fulfilled his obligations in Perugia and in Città di Castello, he resolved to go and see his relatives, his uncle Simon and the Montefeltro family who ruled the Duchy of Urbino, to whom his father had been a friend much more than a subject. This trip took place in 1504, perhaps on his return from Siena.

      Madonna and Child with an Angel and the Infant Saint John, known as Madonna Terranuova

      1505

      Oil on poplar wood, diameter: 88.5 cm

      Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin

      Considering only painting, the court of Urbino supplied Raphael with varied and picturesque subjects. The learned conversations presided over by Duchess Elisabetta, the theatrical performances, the frequent references to classical Antiquity, animated his brush by turns.

      But the citizens of Urbino had even stronger sentiments in their hearts. In the wake of cruel hardships such as the invasion of the duchy by the Borgias, and after a deliverance they had scarcely dared hope for, patriotism was in the air.

      The Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Nicholas of Bari, known as Madonna Ansidei

      1505

      Oil on poplar wood, 216.8 × 147.6 cm

      The National Gallery, London

      Raphael could not have been unaware of such things. There is no doubt that in his Saint George and Saint Michael, both painted for Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, he wished to symbolise the defeat of Cesare Borgia and the triumph of the Montefeltros. These free and bold allegories are part of the master’s genius. Narrating, in an official style, the combats and the exploits of his patrons seemed to him unworthy. In his eyes, the struggles of his contemporaries needed to be raised to an epic level, translated into expressions meant to live across the centuries.

      Madonna and Child, known as Little Cowper Madonna

      c. 1505

      Oil on wood, 59.5 × 44 cm

      Widener Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

      The Saint George is a masterpiece of composition, but it is also a masterpiece of colour. Raphael demonstrates, through the judicious choice of hues and through their vigorous and precise repetitions, the extent to which the painter and the draughtsman are combined in his art. There is nothing more delicate and harmonious than this painting in which, for all of that, no detail is sacrificed. The red saddle contrasts strikingly with the magnificent white coat of the horse; it makes, in turn, the most picturesque contrast against the steel armour of the saint.

      Portrait of Agnolo Doni

      1505–1506

      Oil on wood, 65 × 47.7 cm

      Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Reali, Florence

      The red and white sections of the lance add a lively, bright note to the subdued tones of the landscape; they inject into the whole a most striking sense of energy.

      Raphael in Florence

      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

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