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Primary sourcePainting1518-1520

Self-Portrait with a Friend

Raphael · 1518-1520

A double portrait believed to show Raphael alongside a close friend, pupil, or fencing master, from his late Roman years.

Traditionally identified as a self-portrait, this painting offers a rare personal glimpse of Raphael late in his life.

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Oil painting of two bearded men in dark clothing with white collars against a dark background. The man on the left, with shoulder-length dark hair, faces the viewer. The man on the right, with curly dark hair, looks to the side and points with one hand.
Raphael, Self-Portrait with a Friend, 1518-1520. Louvre, Paris.

About this source

What it is

This painting, made around 1518-1520, shows two men and is traditionally thought to include a self-portrait of Raphael on the left. The identity of the second man is uncertain; he has been called a fencing master, a friend, or a pupil, with suggestions including Giulio Romano or Polidoro da Caravaggio. It is held in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Why it matters

If the figure is indeed Raphael, this painting is a rare glimpse of the artist late in his career, showing his personal relationships rather than a formal commission. Historians note that part of the painting may have been completed by one of Raphael's own pupils, reflecting how busy workshops of the period often shared the labor of a single artwork between master and assistants.

Look closer

  • What makes historians uncertain about whether this is really a self-portrait of Raphael?
  • Why might the identity of the second man have been forgotten over time?
  • How might a painting completed partly by a pupil change how we think about authorship in Renaissance workshops?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Raphael on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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