Charity

Raphael painted this personification of Charity around 1507, now at the Pinacoteca Vaticana, as a predella panel for the Baglioni Altarpiece commissioned in Perugia — one of his major works from the Florentine period just before his move to Rome. The four cardinal or theological virtues appeared in predella programs as complementary moral themes to the altarpiece's main religious narrative. By 1507 Raphael had absorbed the lessons of Leonardo and Michelangelo during his Florentine years, and his figures show a new sculptural solidity and psychological depth. The allegorical personification of Charity, typically shown nursing children or distributing alms, allowed Raphael to demonstrate his mastery of the generalized female ideal type he was perfecting in these years.

Oil on panel with Raphael's characteristic balance of form, luminous coloring, and compositional harmony. The work demonstrates the artistic qualities characteristic of Raphael's mature period.