1504, 67"*46", Oil on panel
A landmark in Raphael's early oeuvre for a variety of
reasons, the Marriage of the was commissioned by
the Albizzini family for their chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph in the
Church of San Francesco in Citt di Castello.
The Marriage of the Vigin is Raphael's last painting
wholly in the stylistic language of his master Perugino. If it is possible
to say so, he not only equaled Perugino within his own formal vocabulary,
as in The Crucifixion, but actually surpassed him in this picture.
The general outline of the composition, with the arcuated top, follows
one set forth by perugino in several paintings. In the background there is
a centralized temple set into the arched frame, whereas strung across
the lower foreground the main figures act out the events. Conn-
ecting these
two pictorial centers, the building above and the marriage scene below,
are scattered, isolated images that populate the vast space. Raphael
composed the group of women at the left of the central figures and the
disappointed suitors at the right with extreme fluidity, as opposed to
Perugino's more friezelike treatment. The elegant, elongated figure of
Joseph, about to place the ring on Mary's finger, typifies
the expressive restraint within the whole work. The undiluted color,
dominated by strong reds, makes for a clear, unambiguous reading of
the scene. In the distance behind the temple, an immense, almost
infinite, space is established, while a convincing atmosphere and light
surround and encom-
pass the domed building.
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