Why it matters
Raphael's last painting combines two Gospel episodes: above, Christ is transfigured; below, the apostles fail to heal a possessed boy. From the late 16th century to the early 20th century, commentators regarded it as the most famous oil painting in the world.
Did you know?
- Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, later Pope Clement VII, commissioned it for Narbonne Cathedral in France.
- Raphael was working on it in the years before his death in 1520.
- The cardinal commissioned a rival altarpiece from Sebastiano del Piombo, with drawings by Michelangelo.
Based on the Wikipedia article Transfiguration (Raphael) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
