DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51585#0096
92 EARLY ITALIAN PAINTERS.
In this letter the duchess styles him “ a discreet
and amiable youth,” to whom she was attached for
his father’s sake and for his own good qualities,
and she requests that Soderini will favour and aid
him in his pursuits. Raphael did not remain long
at Florence in this first visit, but he made the ac-
quaintance of Fra Bartolomeo and Ridolfo Ghir-
landajo, and saw some cartoons by Lionardo da
Vinci and Michael Angelo, which filled his mind
with new and bold ideas both of form and com-
position. In the following year he was employed
in executing several large pictures for various
churches at Perugia. One of these, a large altar-
piece, painted for the church of the Servite, is now
at Blenheim ; it is full of beauty and dignity; be-
neath it was a little picture of St. John preaching
in the Wilderness, which is in the possession of
Lord Lansdowne. About the same time he painted
for himself a lovely little miniature called the
Dream of the Young Knight, in which he repre-
sents a youth armed, who sees in a vision two fe-
male figures, one alluring him to pleasure, the
other, with a book and sword, inviting him to
study and to strive for excellence. This is now in
England, in the possession of Lady Sykes. It has
been lately engraved in an exquisite style by Mr.
L. Gruner.
When he had finished these and other works he
returned to Florence, and remained there till 1508.
In this letter the duchess styles him “ a discreet
and amiable youth,” to whom she was attached for
his father’s sake and for his own good qualities,
and she requests that Soderini will favour and aid
him in his pursuits. Raphael did not remain long
at Florence in this first visit, but he made the ac-
quaintance of Fra Bartolomeo and Ridolfo Ghir-
landajo, and saw some cartoons by Lionardo da
Vinci and Michael Angelo, which filled his mind
with new and bold ideas both of form and com-
position. In the following year he was employed
in executing several large pictures for various
churches at Perugia. One of these, a large altar-
piece, painted for the church of the Servite, is now
at Blenheim ; it is full of beauty and dignity; be-
neath it was a little picture of St. John preaching
in the Wilderness, which is in the possession of
Lord Lansdowne. About the same time he painted
for himself a lovely little miniature called the
Dream of the Young Knight, in which he repre-
sents a youth armed, who sees in a vision two fe-
male figures, one alluring him to pleasure, the
other, with a book and sword, inviting him to
study and to strive for excellence. This is now in
England, in the possession of Lady Sykes. It has
been lately engraved in an exquisite style by Mr.
L. Gruner.
When he had finished these and other works he
returned to Florence, and remained there till 1508.