Raphael: A celebration of his life and work, on his 500th anniversary Struck down in his prime, the Italian Renaissance master died on his 37th birthday
Wed, Dec 30, 2020, 05:00 Michael Collins
Raphael missed his birthday party in Rome. It was to be the biggest in 500 years, with a year-long celebration and the largest collection of his work assembled in one place. Then Covid-19 struck, just like the mysterious illness which killed the artist on his 37th birthday.
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520), known to his contemporaries as “the divine Raphael”, was one of the most celebrated artists of the Italian Renaissance. A contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, 30 years his senior, and Michelangelo, eight years older, the young Raphael learned the rudiments of his trade from his father, Giovanni, a court painter in the duchy of Urbino close to the Adriatic