Close Look: the Raphael Cartoons

Raphael Cartoon, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (Luke 5: 1 – 11), cartoon for a tapestry, by Raphael, about 1515 – 16, Italy. Museum number: ROYAL LOANS.2. Photo: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Courtesy Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2021

The Raphael Cartoons are a set of seven full-scale designs for tapestry painted by Raphael (1483 – 1520), and are considered one of the greatest treasures of the Renaissance. They were commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X for the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and depict the lives of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The Cartoons have been on loan to the V&A from Her Majesty The Queen since 1865. This site tells the story of how these monumental works on paper were commissioned, made and have survived against the odds. It also offers a selection fabulous details from ultra-high resolutions scans in colour, 3D and infrared produced by the Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation.