Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Raphael's Tapestry Cartoons
For Christmas in 1519, Pope Leo X unveiled 10 new tapestries in the Sistine Chapel, de-
signed by the famous artist Raphael. The project was one of the largest ever undertaken by
a painter—it cost far more than Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling—and when it was done, the
tapestries were a hit, inspiring princes across Europe to decorate their palaces in master-
pieces of cloth.
The V&A owns seven of the full-size designs by Raphael that were used to produce
the tapestries (approximately 13 feet by 17 feet, done in tempera on paper, now mounted
on canvas). The cartoons were sent to factories in Brussels, cut into strips (see the lines),
and placed on the looms. The scenes are the reverse of the final product—lots of left-
handed saints.
 
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