How and why, 100 years later, the "Lady with the Unicorn" by Rafael Santi has changed

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

At the beginning of the 16th century, Rafael Santi created the painting "The Lady with the Unicorn", which was included in the "golden fund" of painting of the High Renaissance. The artist could hardly have imagined that through the centuries his canvas would be changed beyond recognition, and art critics would argue about why the image was changed?

Raphael Santi (1483-1520) is one of the best artists of the Renaissance, along with Leonardo and Michelangelo. He differs from his colleagues by his youthful age (he created a large number of masterpieces while still a young man) and the most outstanding portraits in history. His name became legendary during his lifetime, and his art is a clear embodiment of harmony, balance and clarity of style. As a true son of the Renaissance, Raphael was versatile talented: an architect, painter, draftsman, master of monumental painting.

Plot and history of writing

The painting depicts a young woman seated in a loggia, presented from the popular Renaissance perspective, inspired by da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Raphael was clearly inspired by the works of Leonardo, because he repeated many of his masterpieces: - the heroine's body is located in a 3/4 turn, - neat hands, - an enigmatic look, - columns framing and complementing the composition, - smoky effect (sfumato) and transparent landscape.

Leonardo was the first to establish such a pose of the female body, and other contemporary artists and his future colleagues transferred it to their canvases. The portrait of a lady with a unicorn has a complex history. First, the artist himself replaced the dog (a symbol of marital fidelity) with a unicorn (a symbol of chastity), and centuries after its initial creation, an unknown artist added new details - the wheel of St. Catherine, a palm branch and a mantle to cover the heroine's naked shoulders. For a long time, the painting was attributed to Pietro Perugino, who taught Raphael at the beginning of his career. The painting was restored in the 1930s and analysis confirmed that this work was by Raphael.

The heroine of the picture

"Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn" was painted by the artist during his stay in Florence. Raphael created the image of a young beautiful woman, full of the charm and purity of youth. This impression is also associated with a mysterious beast on her knees - a unicorn, a symbol of female chastity. The viewer sees a lady of noble manners, exquisitely dressed in a fashionable olive dress with brown velvet sleeves, with perfectly matched jewelry (a necklace with a matching ruby and a drop-shaped pearl to match her pale skin, as well as a completely invisible delicate golden diadem, emphasizing the golden shine of her hair). The girl's magical gaze beckons the viewer, while it is impossible to assert with complete certainty that the heroine looks directly into the eyes (the impression of slightly slanting eyes is created). Raphael depicted her beautifully styled golden curls, revealing the décolleté and neckline. The skin is distinguished by an aristocratic pallor, and only ruddy cheeks and olive green eyes suggest a slight contrast.

In addition to the jewelry described, it is significant that there are no rings on her fingers (even a wedding one) - this is unusual, since female portraits of that time were usually created on the occasion of a wedding. The personality of the heroine is still not known for certain. It is believed that the painting was commissioned as a wedding gift and depicts a bride, presumably Laura Orsini della Rovere, who may have been the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI. It is believed that when the engagement was canceled, Raphael replaced the little dog in his lap with a unicorn, a symbol of chastity and virginity. Other art historians believe that this is a portrait of Maddalena Strozzi, who came from the ancient Florentine Strozzi family and the wife of a wealthy fabric merchant Agnolo Doni.

Unicorn

In her hands, the lady is holding a small unicorn, whose symbol is chastity. A long-standing myth is that unicorns can only be caught by a virgin, thus the animal was a symbol of purity and innocence. Thus, a unicorn + the absence of a wedding ring + a pearl (as an attribute of innocence) = arguments in favor of the unmarried status of the heroine. The dog was a more wedding attribute in painting, and Raphael originally painted this particular animal, on which only later, as shown by radiography, he superimposed extremely animated realistic figure of a unicorn. The reasons for this modification are still unclear.

Landscape and composition

The landscape behind the heroine is created in the spirit of Leonardo: smoky, mountain range, blue sky and slightly noticeable trees. Smooth mountains, rounded body and face of the heroine, and even columns with rounded pedestals create a smooth and soft composition of the picture without sharp corners and sharp elements. The painting is done in oil, and this choice allowed the artist to achieve the maximum richness of colors and details, which cannot be obtained using tempera (a popular method in the time of Raphael).

Thus, Rafael Santi, one of the greatest painters in the history of art, managed to create a truly masterpiece full of mysteries and secrets. It is not clear whether it will be possible to reveal the personality of the heroine, her status, the reason for the modification on the canvas and other puzzles. But one thing is certain - "The Lady with the Unicorn" remains one of the most important works of portraiture.