Raphael's life. 12 etchings by Johannes Ripenhausen

Rafael is an almost "divine" artist. Already in the XVI century, Giorgio Vasari honored him so much. At the beginning of the 19th century, Raphael's “boom” reached its zenith. The search for the remains of the artist led the clergy, scientists and artists of that time into insanity.

Raphael asked to bury his body in the Pantheon in Rome. However, there were some doubts as to whether his remains were really buried there, and whether the skull, stored in the Academy of San Luca, belonged to the famous artist. And these doubts were not completely unfounded. The skull, which was revered at the Academy, did not belong to the artist at all. However, Raphael's burial site was eventually discovered in the Pantheon on September 14, 1833, and his bones (including the skull) could be exhumed.

Taking the opportunity, the Roman artist Johannes Ripenhausen took measures to capitalize on this event. He issued a series of etchings about the life of Raphael - the first of its kind, because until that time the “boom” after the discovery of Raphael was focused mainly on his work, and not his life.

In 1833, Johannes released a series of 12 etchings that were based on the main stages of the life of Rafael Santi.