Unfortunate but true. The exhibition Raphael Unraveled in Teylers Museum Haarlem came to an end. It is clear that it can be considered a great success, with tickets being sold out almost permanently, it is fair to say that the Dutch audience and those who came from abroad really appreciated a subject like this. Master drawings were really at the center of attention here. A unique exhibition and great achievement!
With a comet-like career abruptly followed by his early and unfortunate death at the age of 37, Raphael turned out to be a true phenomenon in Renaissance painting. A fine selection of 47 works of this true master were to be seen in the first Raphael exhibition in Holland at Teylers Museum Haarlem. Its collection formed the basis for this survey, exhibiting a large share of drawings and even two paintings.
After a recently finished research project three new drawings were added to the master’s oeuvre. Previously these were considered to be drawings by his pupils working for him probably during the decoration of the Stanze in the Vatican. This new discovery brings the total of drawings by Raphael in the Teylers collection up to 12. The three sheets show quite different subjects. One is a Portrait of a young man (1515-1517), the second one is a flying putto from around 1518 and a third shows the biblical figure of Joshua addressing the Israelites at Schechem.
‘Raphael Unraveled’ was on display from September 6, 2012 until January 6, 2013