Saints Peter and Paul appearing to Attila and his Huns, with Leo I the Great approaching in the far distance c.1860-76
Carbon print | 28.3 x 45.9 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 852723
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A photograph of a drawing now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no.3873), the authorship and purpose of which are still disputed. The drawing is closely related to Raphael’s fresco of The Meeting between Leo the Great and Attila, from which it only differs in the left-hand group and other minor details.
It has been suggested that the drawing may record an earlier idea by Raphael for the fresco, later superseded. Whether this is the original design by Raphael or a copy after it (perhaps by Giulio Romano or Penni, as sometimes suggested) is an ongoing matter of debate. However, the rectangular format of the drawing and the use of parchment have also raised questions as to it being a working modello for a lunette-shaped fresco. The composition is recorded in an anonymous engraving, generally dated to the 17th century (see RCIN 852726). For further discussion, see Bibliographic References.Provenance
Acquired for the Prince Consort's Raphael Collection (c.1860-76)
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Carbon print
Measurements
28.3 x 45.9 cm (sheet of paper)
Category
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
Bibliographic reference(s)
Catalogue of the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum. v. P. Pouncey and J.A.Gere, Raphael and His Circle (1962); p.58, under no.71
Joannides 1983 : Joannides, P., 1983. The Drawings of Raphael, with a complete catalogue, Oxford p.218, no.341
Cordellier/Py 1992 : Raphael : son atelier, ses copistes, 1992 / par Dominique Cordellier et Bernadette Py, Paris (Inventaire general des dessins Italiens ; V / sous la direction de Francoise Viatte) pp.237-41, no.329
Jacoby/Sonnabend 2012: edited by J. Jacoby and M. Sonnabend, Frankfurt/Main 2012 pp.187-9, no.31
