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Portrait of Pope Julius II (Raphael)
Encyclopedia
Portrait of Pope Julius II is an oil painting
attributed to Italian painter Raphael
. This painting of Pope Julius II
, who was a popular subject for Raphael and his students, was unusual for its time and would carry a long influence on papal portraiture. From its beginning, it was specially hung at the pillars of Santa Maria del Popolo, at the gates to Rome, for feast and high holy days.
For many years, a version of the painting which now hangs in the Uffizi Gallery was believed to be the original, but in 1970 opinion shifted. The original is currently believed to be the version hanging in the National Gallery, London
.
enumerates nine repetitions...besides three of the head only." There is a possible cartoon for the London version in the Palazzo Corsini, Florence, and a red chalk drawing at Chatsworth House
The presentation of the subject was unusual for its time. Previous Papal portraits showed them frontally, or kneeling in profile. It was also "exceptional" at this period to show the sitter so evidently in a particular mood - here lost in thought. The intimacy of this image was unprecedented in Papal portraiture, but became the model, "what became virtually a formula", followed by most future painters, including Sebastiano del Piombo
and Diego Velázquez
. The Oxford Dictionary of Art (2004) indicates that the painting "established a type for papal portraits that endured for about two centuries."
of this painting is constructed based on documents, analysis of the painting and preliminary sketches. For centuries the painting was co-located with the "Madonna of Loreto (Raphael)
," first at the Santa Maria del Popolo, then in private collections, and for a time their location was unknown. The original painting by Raphael is now believed to be the version at National Gallery.
An impressive array of Renaissance artists were brought in to decorate the San Maria del Popolo church and its chapels in Rome, beginning with Raphael. Both paintings by Raphael, Julius II and the Madonna were hung on pillars during feast days or high holy days.
The two paintings, nearly the same size, seem as if they were meant to complement each other. Nearly the same size, they also both had a strong vertical orientation. The eyes of the paintings were downcast and gave a contemplative feeling. The positioning and lighting within the paintings seems to indicate that they were meant to each flank a side of an altar in the domed chapel. Although the paintings were paired for a time through change of ownership, "Madonna of Loreto" is now located in the Condé Museée in Chantilly, France.
As a means of indicating Julius' apprecition of the Madonna, which resulted in the pairing of paintings, Julius commissioned another Madonna painting, the "Sistine Madonna
", in the last year of his life where his adoration is shown by the Pope kneeling at the feet of the Virgin.
There are many suppositions about the circumstances surrounding the painting after Popolo, partly because there were many copies of the painting and partly due to delays in publication of vital documents.
. In 1608, he sold the paintings to Cardinal Scipione Borghese.
and Konrad Oberhuber, along with others, successfully changed common opinion with reference to scientific data and historical records. However, the attribution is not universally accepted and was challenged in 1996 by James Beck
in Artibus et Historiae
.
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
attributed to Italian painter Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
. This painting of Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
, who was a popular subject for Raphael and his students, was unusual for its time and would carry a long influence on papal portraiture. From its beginning, it was specially hung at the pillars of Santa Maria del Popolo, at the gates to Rome, for feast and high holy days.
For many years, a version of the painting which now hangs in the Uffizi Gallery was believed to be the original, but in 1970 opinion shifted. The original is currently believed to be the version hanging in the National Gallery, London
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
.
Composition
The painting is a portrait of Pope Julius II. The subject was a popular one. According to the 1901 catalogue of the National Gallery, "This portrait was repeated several times by Raphael, or his scholars. PassavantJohann David Passavant
Johann David Passavant was a German painter, curator and artist.Passavant was born in 1787 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His interest in the arts was evidence by an early correspondence with the artist Franz Pforr . He moved to Paris in 1809 to further his business interests...
enumerates nine repetitions...besides three of the head only." There is a possible cartoon for the London version in the Palazzo Corsini, Florence, and a red chalk drawing at Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
The presentation of the subject was unusual for its time. Previous Papal portraits showed them frontally, or kneeling in profile. It was also "exceptional" at this period to show the sitter so evidently in a particular mood - here lost in thought. The intimacy of this image was unprecedented in Papal portraiture, but became the model, "what became virtually a formula", followed by most future painters, including Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo , byname of Sebastiano Luciani, was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter of the early 16th century famous for his combination of the colors of the Venetian school and the monumental forms of the Roman school.- Biography :Sebastiano del Piombo belongs to the painting school...
and Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
. The Oxford Dictionary of Art (2004) indicates that the painting "established a type for papal portraits that endured for about two centuries."
Provenance
The provenanceProvenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
of this painting is constructed based on documents, analysis of the painting and preliminary sketches. For centuries the painting was co-located with the "Madonna of Loreto (Raphael)
Madonna of Loreto (Raphael)
The Madonna of Loreto is a painting finished around 1508-1509 by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael. It is housed in the Musée Condé of Chantilly, France....
," first at the Santa Maria del Popolo, then in private collections, and for a time their location was unknown. The original painting by Raphael is now believed to be the version at National Gallery.
Santa Maria del Popolo
Julius II commissioned of Raphael this painting and "Madonna of Loreto" which resided at Santa Maria del Popolo, at the entrance gate to Rome.An impressive array of Renaissance artists were brought in to decorate the San Maria del Popolo church and its chapels in Rome, beginning with Raphael. Both paintings by Raphael, Julius II and the Madonna were hung on pillars during feast days or high holy days.
The two paintings, nearly the same size, seem as if they were meant to complement each other. Nearly the same size, they also both had a strong vertical orientation. The eyes of the paintings were downcast and gave a contemplative feeling. The positioning and lighting within the paintings seems to indicate that they were meant to each flank a side of an altar in the domed chapel. Although the paintings were paired for a time through change of ownership, "Madonna of Loreto" is now located in the Condé Museée in Chantilly, France.
As a means of indicating Julius' apprecition of the Madonna, which resulted in the pairing of paintings, Julius commissioned another Madonna painting, the "Sistine Madonna
Sistine Madonna
Sistine Madonna, also called La Madonna di San Sisto, is an oil painting by the Italian artist Raphael. Finished shortly before his death, ca. 1513–1514, as a commissioned altarpiece, it was the last of the painter's Madonnas and the last painting he completed with his own hands...
", in the last year of his life where his adoration is shown by the Pope kneeling at the feet of the Virgin.
There are many suppositions about the circumstances surrounding the painting after Popolo, partly because there were many copies of the painting and partly due to delays in publication of vital documents.
Cardinal Sfondrati
In 1591, the Raphael paintings "Julius II" and what was later called "Madonna of Loreto" were removed from the church by Paolo Camillo Sfondrati, later Cardinal Sfondrati, and nephew of Pope Gregory XIVPope Gregory XIV
Pope Gregory XIV , born Niccolò Sfondrati, was Pope from 5 December 1590 until his death in 1591.- Early career :...
. In 1608, he sold the paintings to Cardinal Scipione Borghese.
Borghese Collection
The paintings, purchased in 1608 were still recorded as part of the Borghese collection in 1693 as a small inventory mark at bottom left shows. It presumably left the collection in the 1790s, and was in the Angerstein Collection by 1823, and was acquired by the National Gallery in 1824.Uffuzi and National Gallery paintings
Until 1970, it was commonly believed that the London version of the painting was a copy by a student of a Raphael original, which was believed to be the version existing in the Uffizi Gallery. In that year, the National Gallery's Cecil GouldCecil Gould
Cecil Hilton Monk Gould was a British art historian and curator who specialised in Renaissance painting. He was a former Keeper and Deputy Director of the National Gallery in London.-Life:...
and Konrad Oberhuber, along with others, successfully changed common opinion with reference to scientific data and historical records. However, the attribution is not universally accepted and was challenged in 1996 by James Beck
James Beck (art historian)
James H. Beck was an American art historian specialising in the Italian Renaissance. He was an outspoken critic of many high-profile restorations and re-attributions of artworks, and founded the pressure group ArtWatch International to campaign against irresponsible practices in the art...
in Artibus et Historiae
Artibus et Historiae
Artibus et Historiae is a semi-annual publication of art historical research published by IRSA since 1980...
.