Raphael—The Power of Renaissance Images: The Dresden Tapestries and their Impact

Mortlake manufactory (after designs by Raphael), St. Paul Preaching at Athens, After 1625. Tapestry. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Raphael—The Power of Renaissance Images: The Dresden Tapestries and their Impact presents for the first time to American audiences six tapestries, woven in the 17th century, on loan from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery of Dresden). These monumental and historically significant works were woven directly from cartoons (painted compositions) by the Renaissance master Raphael, and were only shown for the first time in Europe last year after undergoing extensive restoration in the 1990s. The exhibition focuses on the creation of the Dresden tapestries and introduces their various patrons and owners through the centuries—in particular, Charles I, King of England, and Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland—while also highlighting Raphael’s broad impact and influence on later artists.

Around 1516 Raphael completed his cartoons for tapestries commissioned to hang in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. The Dresden tapestries are one of numerous sets woven from Raphael’s cartoons after his death. The tapestries depict scenes from the New Testament, most from the book Acts of the Apostles, focused on the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul. Their stirring themes and powerful style inspired future generations of artists for centuries to come. The tapestries’ impact is examined in the second part of the exhibition, which includes drawings by the hand of Raphael that were studies for his cartoons. Numerous other works—paintings, prints, drawings, and ceramic ware—were created by artists influenced by Raphael’s designs. Noted renaissance and baroque masters such as Rubens and Poussin are represented in the exhibition. One section focuses on the journey of the cartoons and tapestries through the centuries and across geographic boundaries. Portraits of major figures like Charles I and Augustus the Strong in both painting and sculpture highlight their respective roles in preserving the timeless legacy of the Raphael tapestries.

The website includes a link to an online lecture about the tapestries on 7 September.