Visitation
Raphael·1517
Historical Context
Raphael's Visitation (c. 1517) at the Prado depicts the meeting of the pregnant Virgin Mary with her cousin Elizabeth — a subject from Luke 1 in which the pregnant Baptist leaps in the womb at the presence of Christ. Created during Raphael's late Roman period with significant workshop participation, the work shows the influence of classical relief sculpture in the flowing, processional arrangement of the two women's meeting. The landscape setting, with distant architectural elements and a luminous sky, is characteristic of Raphael's late style and reflects the increasing importance of landscape as a compositional element in his final works.
Technical Analysis
The two monumental figures dominate the foreground against a panoramic landscape, with the warm coloring and sculptural drapery demonstrating the grandeur of Raphael's late manner.
