Raphael Sanzio

Raphael is the painter of perfect balance. His Madonnas, portraits and great frescoes have clear, harmonious compositions, gentle faces and a calm grace that made him the model for European painters for centuries.

Born in Urbino, the son of the painter Giovanni Santi, he trained with Perugino and then worked in Florence, where he studied Leonardo and Michelangelo. From 1508 he worked in Rome for Popes Julius II and Leo X, painting the rooms of the Vatican palace, including The School of Athens. He died in Rome at 37 and is buried in the Pantheon. La Belle Jardinière is in the Louvre and Lady with a Unicorn is in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

In his portraits, such as Cardinal Tommaso Inghirami, look for the calm, direct likeness and the sure handling of colour.