Why it matters
Mary and Joseph are married in front of a domed temple, in a composition clearly inspired by a painting by Raphael's teacher Perugino. Raphael dated it 1504 next to his signature.
Did you know?
- It was made for the Franciscan church of San Francesco in Città di Castello.
- It is also known as Lo Sposalizio.
- In 1806 it was sold to the Italian state for 53,000 francs and went to the Brera.
- Franz Liszt wrote a piano piece, 'Sposalizio', based on the painting.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Marriage of the Virgin (Raphael) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
