Raphael Cartoons
Print
before 1755 (engraved), 19th century (published)
before 1755 (engraved), 19th century (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The subject of this print is the Healing of the Lame Man by Saints Peter and John. The event took place at the Temple of Jerusalem at a gate known as the Beautiful Gate, which led to the entry into the Women's Court, where Israelite men and women could make offerings for the upkeep of the Temple. The man was begging for alms but Peter and John instead gave him the gift of being able to walk. The spiral columns shown in this image were modelled on those of the tomb of St Peter in St Peter's Basilica.
The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques.
The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | etching and engraving on paper |
| Brief description | Etching and engraving by François Bernard Lépicié, after a cartoon by Raphael, published by W. Tegg; The Healing of the Lame Man; published in London. |
| Physical description | The subject is the Healing of the Lame Man by Saints Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem. Scene showing a covered walkway of rows of spiral columns decorated with acanthus and putti climbing amongst foliage. A crowd waiting in the walkway watches as Peter and John help a lame man, sitting cross-legged in the centre foreground, to stand up. Another man with staff kneels nearby to the right. In the crowd to the left are two young children, one carrying two birds, a woman holding a baby and a woman carrying a basket of good, probably as a temple offering. This print is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it is derived and is faithful in compositional detail. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | NB. While the term ‘lame’ has been used in this record, it has since fallen from usage and is now considered offensive. The term is repeated in this record in its original historical context. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | Bible, Acts, 3 |
| Summary | The subject of this print is the Healing of the Lame Man by Saints Peter and John. The event took place at the Temple of Jerusalem at a gate known as the Beautiful Gate, which led to the entry into the Women's Court, where Israelite men and women could make offerings for the upkeep of the Temple. The man was begging for alms but Peter and John instead gave him the gift of being able to walk. The spiral columns shown in this image were modelled on those of the tomb of St Peter in St Peter's Basilica. The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques. |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.860C-1888 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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