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Primary sourcePainting1513-1514

The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila

Raphael · 1513-1514

A fresco by Raphael in the Vatican showing Pope Leo I confronting Attila the Hun, with the pope's face altered to match a new pope.

Raphael directed this fresco, altering the pope's portrait to track changing papal politics during his Vatican career.

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Fresco in an arched vault showing a scene of armed warriors on horseback and on foot in a battle, with a flying figure in orange and red robes above, and a pale-robed procession of clergy with a horse on the left. Decorative gilded stucco frames the arch.
Raphael and workshop (including Giulio Romano), The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila, 1513-1514. Vatican Museums.

About this source

What it is

Painted by Raphael and his workshop between 1513 and 1514, this fresco in the Vatican's Stanza di Eliodoro shows the legendary meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila the Hun in 452, with saints Peter and Paul appearing above.

Why it matters

Raphael originally gave Pope Leo I the face of his patron Julius II, but after Julius died he repainted it to resemble the new pope, Leo X, showing both as cardinal and pope. This change reveals how closely Raphael's work was tied to the political fortunes of his papal patrons. Much of the fresco was carried out by assistants such as Giulio Romano under Raphael's direction.

Look closer

  • Why might Raphael change a pope's face in a painting after that pope died?
  • How does the fresco use contrast between calm and chaos to make its political point?
  • What does the involvement of assistants tell you about how large Renaissance commissions worked?

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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