Raphael and the new era of the Renaissance
At first, the only traces of Raphael's art in Bologna were echoes of
the Roman artistic workshop under construction during the years of Julius
II’s pontificate. We had to wait until the era of Leo X for the Ecstasy of
Saint Cecilia [15.1] for the Duglioli Chapel in the church of San Giovanni
in Monte to arrive in the city. When this extraordinary painting arrived
and, later, other works by the master, such as copies, drawings or prints
derived from his inventions, his taste deeply permeated the local culture,
leaving an indelible mark.
The Saint John in the Desert [15.2], formerly
in the private collection of the Bolognese senator Francesco Mastri, is
an outstanding example of the numerous copies of Raphael's original in
the Uffizi Gallery, while the delightful Madonna and Child by Franciabigio
[15.3] uses Raphaelesque models in a personalised style. The solemn
and monumental figures of the great altarpiece by Innocenzo da Imola
[15.4], painted for the high altar of the church of San Michele in Bosco,
are clearly based on Raphael’s orthodoxy. Innocenzo drew on works such
as the Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia, using the pose of Saint Paul for his Saint
Peter, and Saint Michael the Archangel in the Louvre Museum.
