Revisiting Raphael's Vatican Stanze

Book excerpt: This volume revisits Raphael?s famous Vatican ?Rooms? on the occasion of the quincentennial of the artist?s death. It introduces new scholarship that addresses questions of meaning and invention, artistic process and design, patronage and ritual, and workshop collaborations. With all rooms and details published in color, including ceilings and basamenti, it constitutes an essential resource for further study of these important Renaissance artworks.00Painted between 1508 and 1524, Raphael's Vatican 'Stanze' are counted among the greatest masterpieces in Western art. The quincentennial of the artist's death brings with it a new opportunity to reappraise these canonical works. In celebration of this occasion, this volume offers new interpretations of these famous Vatican spaces, addressing questions of meaning and invention, artistic process and design, patronage and ritual, and workshop collaborations. With all rooms and details published in color, including ceilings and basamenti, it constitutes an essential resource for further study of these important Renaissance artworks.