Portrait of Pope Julius II, 1511 – 1512

Dimensions: 105.6 x 78.5 x min. 2.8 cm
maximum depth: 4.3 cm

Physical Description: Poplar

Inventory Number: 2337

Acquisition: Acquired in 2010 with means provided by the Werner Wirthle bequest

Status: On display, 2nd upper level, Old Masters, room 15

Texts

About the Work

A “papa terribile”, inspiring awe and even fear, is how contemporaries described Giuliano della Rovere, who reigned from 1503 to 1513 under the name of Pope Julius II. As the patron of Bramante, Michelangelo and Raphael, he exerted a decisive influence on Italian Renaissance art. Raphael’s portrait of him exists in several versions. This one, recently acquired by the Städel, is fascinating by virtue of its quality as well as the extremely complex history of its origin, which assigns it a key role in the development of the pictorial concept.