Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Madonna with Child and a Young Saint John the Baptist
Also in the
Sala di Prometeo
is this sombre painting (c 1490-95) by Botticelli. Its sub-
ject and execution stand in stark contrast to his earlier, often hedonistic, works - probably
because it was painted after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Botticelli's great pat-
ron, and during the ascendancy of the fire-and-brimstone preacher, Savonarola.
Madonna of the Window
Named for the cloth-covered window in its background, this charming work by Raphael
was painted in 1513-14, towards the end of his glittering artistic career. The painting is
exhibited in the Sala di Ulisse, once the bedroom of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.
Sleeping Cupid
The gallery's sentimental favourite is undoubtedly Caravaggio's
Sleeping Cupid,
painted
in 1608 in Malta, where the painter had fled after killing a man in a brawl and being ex-
iled from Rome as a consequence. You'll find it in the Sala dell'Educazione di Giove.
A Feast of Raphaels
The handsome
Sala dell'Iliade
showcases the artist's
Portrait of a Woman
(aka
La
Gravida
; c 1505-06) and the
Sala di Saturno
is home to
Madonna with Child and St
John the Baptist
(aka
The Madonna of the Chair;
1511). Raphael's
Lady with a Veil
(aka
La Velata
; c 1516) holds court in the
Sala di Giove
.
Portrait of a Man
The Venetian painter Titian (c 1490-1576) was a master of the portrait, and this painting
of an unknown man (
Ritratto Virile
; c 1540-45) is one of his best. Also known as
Por-
trait of a Young Englishman,
the subject displays a particularly piercing gaze. It's one of
a number of Titians in the
Sala di Apollo
.
