Portrait of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese

The portrait identified as Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (c. 1509–11) by Raphael depicts a young prelate who would later become Pope Paul III, one of the most consequential popes of the Counter-Reformation. If the identification is correct, the portrait provides a remarkable record of a man who would commission Michelangelo's Last Judgment, convene the Council of Trent, and preside over the Catholic Church's most decisive response to the Protestant challenge. Raphael's portrait captures the young cardinal's intelligence and ambition with characteristic directness, the scarlet robes establishing official identity while the face conveys individual character. The work dates from Raphael's Roman period, when he was producing portraits for the papal court.

Raphael's portraiture combines penetrating psychological observation with an idealized elegance, the crimson cardinal's robes rendered with rich tonal depth against a dark background.