Raphael: The Power of Renaissance Images: The Dresden Tapestries and their Impact

From 1515, Raphael was commissioned by Pope Leo X to create ten large-format cartoons, which were used as design to weave the tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. They show scenes from the lives of the Princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. In the 17th century, Raphael’s cartoons were used in the Mortlake tapestry workshop in England for use in weaving further series. The series of six wall hangings that came into the collection of Augustus the Strong was also made there. This volume is published on the occasion of the special exhibition presented by the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of the important painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance. Tracing the genesis of Raphael’s designs, it explores in detail the Dresden series and looks at the powerful influence of the wall hangings on subsequent artists up to the 19th century.