But in the first twenty years of the Cinquecento Florence was still the capital of art. There did Rafael, who came to study the work of Leonardo, Michelangelo and fra, Bartolommeo and understand the subtleties of anatomy, techniques of light and sentimental expression. During his stay in Florence he wrote numerous Madonnas, among which are full of tenderness a great gardener. In 1508, summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II, he was commissioned to paint personal papal rooms (stat) Vatican Palace, which was the beginning of his intense activity in the service of the Holy see.
In addition to these works, the performance of which he creates his own Studio, the artist is engaged in easel painting, in particular, wrote of St. Michael ordered him to Lorenzo de ' Medici as a gift to Francis I. Today, this painting is part of the Louvre collection, as well as the other - a little rain. Mikhail and SV. George, most likely painted for the Duke of Montefeltro.
Raphael, in addition, owns several strikingly truthful portraits, e.g. the portrait of Baldassare Castiglione. For three centuries the works of Raphael enjoyed extraordinary popularity, including in France. The creation of the legend around his name partly contributed to the sudden death of the master at the age of thirty-seven years.