Italian and Northern Renaissance Art

Portrait of Pope Leo X, 1518

History:

This painting is by Raphael.  The portrait of Pope Leo X, and two cardinals. He is the son of Lorenzo de' Medici, Pope Leo X a shrewd and self-indulgent man was best known for his bad habits which included wastefulness, lecherous activities, extravagant lifestyle, and his hedonistic quote, "Since god has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it" ( Zappella). You couldn't tell from looking at portraits that Leo's policies were ripping Christendom apart and this would actually directly lead to the Protestant Reformation. In the portrait, Leo and his two illegitimate relatives are with him, on the left is his nephew Giulio de' Medici, and on the right is his cousin Cardinal Luigi de' Rossi- are in the portrait and look like dignified men of honor. It gives no hint of the chaos they threw in Italy and the entire Christian world. 

Analysis: 

The first thing I see when I look at this is the red color which is the color of the papacy and it is designed around the dominant figure Pope Leo X whose authority is enhanced by the mood of respectful silence closest to you, his family members have subordinate positions in the background behind him. But they aren't so far back that they change the message of Medici power and authority. Their silence helps to establish the authority of the Pope as he stares straight off in the distance like nothing distracts him. This look of solemnity may be due to the troubled times of his papacy with Martin Luther's challenge to its authority and his condemnation of Leo's method of selling indulgences to fund reconstruction that he was having done on St Peter's Basilica. On the table in front of Leo is a beautifully carved bell, and a religious manuscript that is illuminated, and one could say he was studying it with his magnifying glass. Both are important to him and show his love for this visual. 

This painting was commissioned to help glorify the Medici family and the authority of the Pope. The pope is actually a Medici family member. It was painted in 1518 by Raphael and it sits in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The dimensions of the painting are 155.5 x 119.5 cm. Raphael painted with oil on a panel. This painting is beautiful in its own right and you almost want to feel the velvet that he is wearing to find out how soft it actually is. But I don't think I would want a copy of it in my house. But if I get to go to Florence Italy I would go to see it. Italy is on my top 5 of next to travel too. 

Here is a video that talks about that painting and was actually neat to watch. It shows some close-ups of the painting. Things you wouldn't notice. Like the Medici coat of arms written on the bible. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_7RRxooJk0

 

Zappella, Christine. "Raphael, Pope Leo X," in Smarthistory, 9 Aug. 2015, https://smarthistory.org/raphael-pope-leo-x/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024

Kappe, Eelco. “Portrait of Leo X with Two Cardinals by Raphael.” TripImprover, 1 Feb. 2020, www.tripimprover.com/blog/portrait-of-leo-x-with-two-cardinals-by-raphael Accessed 20 Feb. 2024

“Portrait of Leo X (1518) by Raphael.” YouTube, Amuze Art Lectures, 2 Feb. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_7RRxooJk0.