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Secondary sourceBook1882

Raphael: His Life and Works

J. A. Crowe · 1882

A detailed nineteenth-century scholarly biography of Raphael by J. A. Crowe and G. B. Cavalcaselle.

This scholarly biography studies Raphael's life and surveys his drawings and paintings in depth.

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Raphael: His Life and WorksPDF · 622 pages
J. A. Crowe and G. B. Cavalcaselle, Raphael: His Life and Works, 1882-1885. Scanned volume, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a two-volume biography of Raphael written by Joseph Archer Crowe and G. B. Cavalcaselle and published in 1882-1885. It draws on documentary research and a detailed study of Raphael's surviving drawings and paintings.

Why it matters

This book represents the kind of careful art-historical scholarship that shaped how later generations understood Raphael's life and body of work. By relying on documents and a close study of his art, Crowe and Cavalcaselle tried to separate fact from legend about the painter.

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  • Why might scholars writing centuries after Raphael's death have needed to rely on

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