Print, Seven Famous Cartoons of Raphael

Unknown artist

This is an 18th century print of the seven famous cartoons of Raphael Urbin. In 1515 Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael to design tapestries to hang on the lower walls of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. The original cartoons were prepared by Raphael as full-scale patterns for the final tapestry and purchased by Charles I in 1623 after they were used to construct the tapestry. The seven cartoons hung in the gallery at Hampton Court until they were loaned to the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1863. The print depicts the cartoons hanging in siteu, as well as all seven tapestries. The tapestries depict the seven biblical scenes; The death of Ananias, Elymas the Sorcerer struck with blindness, the lame man healed by Peter and John, the miraculous draught of fishes, Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, Paul preaching at Athens, and Christ’s charge to Peter.