Raphael was called “the prince of painters” by Giorgio Vasari, a prominent 16th century biographer of artists (and acclaimed artist in his own right). His works are full of idealistic beauty and human grandeur. He achieved success and fame in his own time and his popularity has continued unabated till today. His portrait of his friend and fellow courtier, Baldassare Castiglione (see image to the right), is by common consent peerless. Titian and Cezanne admired it, and Rembrandt modelled one of his self-portraits on the exact same pose. In his short life-time he managed to achieve much. Besides his skill and genius as a painter, he was a sculptor, architect and poet. In 1514 he was appointed chief architect to the Vatican and the rebuilding of St Peter's (a task carried on by Michelangelo sometime after Raphael's death), yet still found time to design a number of other churches, palaces, and mansions. In 1514, Leo X made him director of a project to excavate the antiquities of Rome, for which Raphael made a survey. He created 10 cartoons for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel, ordered by Leo X, 7 of which have survived and are in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. (The tapestries themselves were woven by Pieter van Aelst and are in the Vatican Museum).

He was born Raffaello Sanzio (or Santi) in Urbino, an artistic centre, on Good Friday April 6, 1483, and received his early training in art from his father, Giovanni Santi di Pietro, a poet and painter at the court of art patron Prince Frederico da Montefeltre. Giovanni Santi was a competent if not great artist, who recognized his son's enormous talent very early on and arranged his apprenticeship with Perugino (1445-1523, another highly-regarded Renaissance painter and part inspiration to the Pre-Raphaelite movement). Giovanni Santi died in 1494 when Raphael was only 11, but by 1500 at the age of only 17 Raphael was already considered a master. His early work reflects the style, clarity and harmony that he learnt from Perugino, and their paintings are so similar that even art experts have found it difficult to distinguish who painted what.

In 1504 Raphael moved to Florence where he studied his contemporaries Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Fra Bartolommeo. Leonardo's energy and emotion that he captured in his drawings and paintings were an inspiration and a revelation to Raphael. He began to experiment with a more informal style, and his development during his Florentine years can best be noted through his numerous Madonnas. These studies of the Madonna and Child reflected his growing maturity and sophistication. His 'Madonna della Seggiola' (or The Seated Madonna, 1514) is a fine example of his innovative approach. For the first time the holy mother is portrayed with a more natural motherly expression, and her head is covered in a peasant's scarf. This more informal pose is set in the formal and elegant tondo (round) shape, thus retaining the finest in Quattrocento (early Renaissance) expression. He based the composition of his 'Madonna of the Pinks' on Leonardo's 'Benois Madonna' - a homage to the older artist, while still retaining his own unique style.

The sweet charm and grace of Raphael's madonnas have captured the world's admiration ever since he painted them, and the legacy for which he is possibly best remembered.

His most original composition of his Florentine period is the Entombment of Christ (1507, Borghese Gallery, Rome), an altarpiece that reflects the influence Michelangelo had on him, with its stronger emphasis on anatomy and emotional drama and movement.

Within four years Raphael's success and reputation was assured and in 1508 he was summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II, who commissioned him to execute some frescoes for his private rooms at the Vatican Palace. (At about the same time, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceilings for the Sistine Chapel). These private apartments called the Stanza della Segnatura (1509-1511) contain some of the most brilliant frescoes Raphael ever produced. The walls of the first room are decorated with scenes personifying Theology, Philosophy, Poetry, and Justice, which appear on the ceiling. On the wall under Theology is a group discussing the mystery of the Trinity. On the wall beneath Philosophy is his famous 'School of Athens', in which portraits of Plato, Aristotle, and other ancient philosophers and scientists are engaged in discourse. Michelangelo’s influence is very clearly seen in this fresco. Although Raphael's main task during this period was to decorate Stanza, he still found time for a favourite subject - the Madonna and Christ Child. Notable madonnas of this time include his Madonna della Tenda (c. 1512-1514), Madonna della Sedia (The Seated Madonna, 1512-1514), and the most famous of all, The Sistine Madonna (c.1513-1514). Famous portraits of this time include Portrait of a Cardinal (1510-1511), Portrait of Tommaso Inghirami (c.1511), Portrait of Pope Julius II (c.1512), Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (c.1514-1516), La Donna Velata (c. 1514-1516), and Joanna of Aragon (1518). The ceiling known as "Raphael's Bible", covering 52 religious subjects, was executed by his pupils, after his design.

His last painting was The Transfiguration (1519-1520, Vatican), commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici. He was found dead in his studio, a few feet away from his painting. A few finishing touches were completed posthumously by the most notable of Raphael's many followers, Giulio Romano. Raphael died in Rome on his 37th birthday, April 6, 1520.

Two very famous cherubs - from Raphael's Sistine Madonna painting