RAPHAEL

Double portrait

77 x 111 cm; oil on canvas (FC 130)

Despite different interpretations, the painting actually depicts the Venetian literati Agostino Beazzano and Andrea Navagero, portrayed with stunning skill. The portrait was painted during their travels to Rome, where they met Raphael. The style adopted by Raphael in this painting with superb confidence is Venetian and the portrait must have deeply impressed the eminent Venetians of the time. It is possible that Sebastiano dal Piombo had a hand in the painting, given the vibrant lyrical and technical starkness of the two figures. Dated around 1516, the painting belonged to Pietro Bembo, as noted by Michiel in 1521, and then passed to Beazzano probably in 1538; it returned to Rome with the Aldobrandini collection.