RAPHAEL, SANZIO DA URBINO, one of the most celebrated painters; was born at Urbino in Italy, on the 28th of March, 1483. The talent for painting which he early exhibited, was carefully cultivated by his father John Sanzio, who was himself a painter of moderate talents, and who received from his son, when at a very early age, much assistance in finishing several pictures which he was painting for his native city of Urbino. Raphael was placed under the tuition of Carnevale or Corradini, with whom he remained till he could be re ceived under the care of Pietro Perugino, a celebrated artist of Perugia. The pupil acquired so speedily and perfectly the manner of his master, that connoisseurs could not distinguish betwect their works, so that he soon became the rival of Pcrugino.
Raphael appears to have left Perugino about the age of sixteen or seventeen, when lie went to Citta di Cas tello, to paint a St. Nicholas crowned by the Virgin and St. Augustine, fa the church of St. Augustine, and another of the crucifixion of our Saviour, for the church of St. Dominic. These works were regarded as equal to those of Perugino; but in a third picture of the mar riage of the Virgin and St. Francisco, painted for the church of St. Francisco, in the same city, he was allowed to have far surpassed his master.
The celebrity which these pictures procured for Ra phael induced his friend Pinturicchio, in the year 1503, to engage him to compose designs from the history of Pius II., for the Library of the cathedral at Sienna, which the Pope had employed him to adorn. Having begun to prepare the cartoons for this purpose, his progress was stopped in consequence of hearing of the great cartoons at Florence, which Leonardi da Vinci and Michael Angelo had painted for the council hall of that city. He immediately went to Florence, along with some of his brother painters, in order to see these great productions of art. But grand as these objects were, Raphael found others equally attractive. He saw at Florence so many beauties, both of nature and art, that he determined to take up his residence in that city. His reputation, which had preceded him, introduced him to the best society, and his elegant person and agreeable manners gained him many friends among those who neither valued talents, nor were able to appreciate his.
Among his friends he soon numbered the at lists Ghir landaio, St. Gallo, and Taddeo Taddi, the last of whom laid open the hospitalities of his house and table to our young artist. In return for this kindness, Raphael presented his friend with two pictures which he had painted at Florence; one of which, a Nladonna and child, with St. John bringing a little bird to him, was sold to the Archduke Ferdinand, at a great price.
The death of both his parents recalled our young artist to Urbino, where he was by Guidobaldo de Montefeltro, and others, to paint subjects for the altars of their chapels, among which were the two little Georges now in the Louvre. Vasari mentions another of these, viz. Christ praying in the garden, painted with all the minuteness of a miniature, for the Duke of Urbino. This, however, and others of the same class, are not to be found.
From Urbino Raphael went to Perugia, where he painted a picture of the Virgin with St. John the Bap tist and St. Nicholas, for the church of the Fratri de Servi ; a fresco picture of Christ in glory, with God encircled with angels and six saints for the church of St. Stephen. Raphael seems to have been so much pleased with this picture, that he inscribed his name upon it in large golden letters.
Raphael also executed at this time, for the nuns of St. Antonia da Padua, a picture of our Lady, with the infant upon her lap closed, and near her St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Cecelia, and St. Catherina. The two female heads have been particularly admired. In a semicircle at the top of the picture, was represented the Almighty, and in three compartments at the foot of it were the agony in the garden, the carrying of the cross, and a dead Christ in the lap of the Virgin. It is at present unknown what has become of the centre picture, or of the semicircular one ; but the lower ones formed a part of the Orleans collection.