Why it matters
The young Raphael shows himself in a simple black robe and painter's cap against a plain brown background. Painted during his formative years in Florence, it is one of the few surviving portraits by Raphael from before 1508.
Did you know?
- It was probably painted between 1504 and 1506.
- It may be unfinished: the shirt collar shows bare gesso and underdrawing.
- It came to Florence from Urbino in 1631.
- Infrared reflectography has confirmed that Raphael painted it.
Based on the Wikipedia article Self-portrait (Raphael) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
