''Portrait of a Cardinal'', or simply ''The Cardinal'', is an oil on panel painting by the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

artist

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

, dated to . It is held by the Prado Museum in Madrid. Raphael had arrived in Rome in 1508, and quickly found great success during the papacy of

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

. He mastered the art of realism in his paintings: the ability to "paint people as more real than they really are", as

Pietro Bembo Pietro Bembo, (; 20 May 1470 – 18 January 1547) was a Venetian scholar, poet, and literary theory, literary theorist who also was a member of the Knights Hospitaller and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. As an intellectual of the Italian Re ...

put it. The three-quarter length portrait depicts a young

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

, probably in his thirties, seated, wearing a red cape and cap with white shirt, against a dark background, looking calmly towards the viewer. Pentimenti show that Raphael shortened the hair, and moved the left eye. The identify of the subject has been a matter of considerable debate, with proposed candidates in the court of

including Bernardo Dovizi (known as Bibbiena), Innocenzo Cybo, Scaramuccia Trivulzio, Alessandro Farnese, Ippolito d'Este,

Silvio Passerini Silvio Passerini (1469 – 20 April 1529) was an Italian cardinal. Biography Born in Cortona, Passerini was taken under the wing of the powerful Florentine Medici family, after his father, Rosado, was imprisoned for too openly supporting the Med ...

, Antonio Ciocchi, Matthäus Schiner or Luigi d'Aragona. According to the Prado, it is perhaps most likely to be Francesco Alidosi (1455–1511), also depicted by Raphael in his 1509–1510 work the '' Disputation of the Holy Sacrament'', or possibly Bendinello Sauli (). The seated subject's upright body and horizontal left arm, resting on an unseen arm of a chair, create a triangular composition, after

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

''. The strong lighting makes striking contrasts between the red of the cardinal's hat and cape, the whiteness of his sleeve and face, and the dark background. Meticulous brushstrokes give the audience a three-dimensional character, revealing Rapahel's interest in sculpture during those years. The painting was bought in Rome by

Charles IV of Spain Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808. The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...

(1748–1819), while he was still the

Prince of Asturias Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978: The title originated in 1388, when King J ...

. Due to its technique, which was considered unusual for Raphael, the picture was attributed to

Antonio Moro Anthonis Mor, also known as Anthonis Mor van Dashorst and Antonio Moro (c. 1517 – 1577), was a Netherlandish Portrait painting, portrait painter, much in demand by the courts of Europe. He has also been referred to as Antoon, Anthonius, Anthoni ...

for some time before the attribution was reassessed. The work entered the Spanish royal collection, and was catalogued at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in 1818; it was later transferred to the Prado.

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Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

1510 paintings

Paintings by Raphael in the Museo del Prado Works about religious leaders Oil paintings Portraits of men {{1510s-painting-stub

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