Full Description
The spectacular beauty of Raphael's tapestries as you have never seen it before
In 1515, Pope Leo X commissioned the Italian painter Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), now generally known as Raphael in English, to make the cartoons for a series of ten tapestries with scenes from the lives of Saints Peter and Paul. This commission played an instrumental part in the stylistic development of the Flemish tapestries, a marvellous illustration of princely splendour in the sixteenth century. Under Habsburg rule, Brussels soon emerged as a leading manufactory for exquisite products. Raphael's designs are among the most successful series in the history of tapestry production.
This publication shows the enormous richness of the tapestries through dozens of details. It accompanies a collection exhibition of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, home to the former imperial tapestry collection, from 26 September 2023 to 14 January 2024.
Contents
9 Foreword
13 Raphael - Innovation in Tapestry Design
CATALOGUE
41 1.1-1.5 Scenes from the Acts of the Apostles
42 1.1 The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
48 1.2 The Healing of the Lame Man
54 1.3 The Blinding of Elymas
60 1.4 The Sacrifice at Lystra
66 1.5 St Paul Preaching in Athens
72 2 The Death of Ananias
78 3 The School of Athens
86 4.1-4.2 Scenes from the Life of the Apostle Paul
88 4.1 St Paul Preaching to the Women of Philippi
94 4.2 St Paul Defending Himself before Agrippa
100 5 The Gibeonite Deception
108 6 Moses Has the Silver and Gold Collected
118 7 Romulus and Remus Suckled by a She-Wolf
124 8 Temperance
132 9 Charles V's Conquest of Tunis141 The Seven Deadly Sins
CATALOGUE
151 10.1-10.7 The Seven Deadly Sins
152 10.1 Pride (Superbia)
160 10.2 Anger (Ira)
166 10.3 Envy (Invidia)
172 10.4 Avarice (Avaritia)
178 10.5 Sloth (Acedia)
186 10.6 Gluttony (Gula)
194 10.7 Lust (Luxuria)
203 Manuscript on the iconographic scheme for the tapestry series
The Seven Deadly Sins (transcription and translation)
213 List of Works
219 Bibliography
226 Photography Credits
227 Acknowledgements & Lenders
