Scholars contest new Raphael documentary's attributions
The documentary titled "Raffaello, il genio sensibile" (Sydonia, 2020, 90') has sparked debate among art historians due to its dubious attributions. It incorrectly suggests that Raphael's earliest works can be found in a banner from Gubbio, misreading a monogram as "R.V." instead of "VBA[ldus]," as noted by Tom Henry. Notably, the film neglects to mention the Santissima Trinità banner, which is crucial to the delayed exhibition "Raffaello giovane e il suo sguardo" (March 2021), overseen by curators Laura Teza and Marica Mercalli, surprising Claudio Strinati. Additionally, it does not address Città di Castello, where Raphael was first referred to as "magister" on December 10, 1500. Critics like Francesco Federico Mancini and Maria Rita Silvestrelli point out more inaccuracies. The documentary is accessible on Rai Play.
Key facts
- Documentary 'Raffaello, il genio sensibile' released in 2020 by Sydonia, 90 minutes long.
- Tom Henry disputes the attribution of a Gubbio banner's monogram to Raphael, stating it reads 'VBA[ldus]'.
- The banner of Santissima Trinità from Città di Castello is omitted from the film.
- Exhibition 'Raffaello giovane e il suo sguardo' postponed to March 2021, curated by Laura Teza and Marica Mercalli.
- Raphael's first official contract as 'magister' dated December 10, 1500, in Città di Castello.
- Cristina Acidini notes innovative iconography in Raphael's fragmented altarpiece for Sant'Agostino.
- Francesco Federico Mancini criticizes the film's attribution of a Crucifixion fresco in Perugia, dating it after 1507.
- Maria Rita Silvestrelli discovered a 1502 contract confirming Raphael's collaboration with Pintoricchio.
- Preparatory drawings for the Umbertide altarpiece are at the Louvre.
- The documentary presents Raphael's 'Sposalizio della Vergine' without its original context in Città di Castello.
Entities
Artists
- Raffaello Sanzio
- Pintoricchio
- Perugino
- Luca Signorelli
- Tom Henry
- Claudio Strinati
- Cristina Acidini
- Francesco Federico Mancini
- Laura Teza
- Marica Mercalli
- Maria Rita Silvestrelli
- Pietro Scarpellini
- Corrado Rosini
- Giuseppe Sterparelli
Institutions
- Sydonia
- National Gallery of London
- Ashmolean Museum
- British Museum
- University of Perugia
- Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
- Louvre
- Pinacoteca Vaticana
- Brera
- Rai Play
- Artribune
Locations
- Gubbio
- Italy
- Città di Castello
- Oxford
- London
- Perugia
- Spoleto
- Urbino
- Umbertide
- Florence
- Rome