Monday 27 January 2025

The Raphael Tapestry Cartoons
at the V&A
by James Lindow
 

The tapestry cartoons completed by Raphael (1483-1520) in 1516 remain one of this country’s greatest artistic treasures. Commissioned by Pope Leo X, these designs were woven into tapestries by Flemish weavers to adorn the walls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The commission’s importance was underlined by the immense sums paid to both the artist and weavers. Employed at the height of his artistic powers, Raphael was aware that this commission would be in direct competition with Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-12). The international fame and influence of Raphael’s cartoons was enhanced during the seventeenth century by their purchase in 1623 by Charles I when Prince of Wales. 

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James Lindow

Dr. James Lindow was the first Renaissance PhD from the Royal College of Art and the V&A. He has convened and presented at international conferences, lectures widely in the UK and overseas and is currently a fine art underwriter in the City. He has written articles on diverse aspects of the Renaissance, and his book entitled The Renaissance Palace in Florence: Magnificence and Splendour in Fifteenth-Century Italy was published by Ashgate Press in 2007 to widespread critical acclaim.