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Portrait of Leo X (Raphael)

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Portrait of Pope Leo X
ArtistRaphael
Year1518-1519
TypeOil on wood
LocationUffizi, Florence

The Portrait of Pope Leo X with two Cardinals is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael, circa 1518-1519. It is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence.

In contrast to other works depicting graceful Madonnas and figures from classical antiquity, this portrait by Raphael shows the subjects with realism rather than idealism. The Pope is depicted with ample features and apparent near-sightedness. The uneasy tone reflects a period of unrest and turmoil for the papacy; Martin Luther had challenged papal authority, listing among other grievances, Leo X's method of selling indulgences to fund work on St Peter's.

The ball on top of the Pope's chair evokes the symbolic abacus balls of the Medici Family.

The illuminated manuscript Bible open on the table has in the past been identified as the Hamilton Bible.[1]

References

  1. ^ Bernice F. Davidson, Raphael's Bible (1985), p. 12.
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