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Hand-Carved Furniture

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Technique: Hand-Carved
Hand Carved Stone Rustic Park Garden Bench Seat Antique Indoor Outdoor Landscape
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Hand carved stone rustic park garden bench seat antique indoor outdoor landscape. Imposing and Very long 18th century hand carved elements gar...
Category

18th Century French Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Stone, Limestone

Italian 18th Century Silver-Gilt & Marble Console
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
An impressive silver-gilt Italian console from the late 18th Century. The worn and patinated white marble top is smooth and makes for a durable su...
Category

18th Century Italian Louis XVI Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Marble

"Il Pezzo 12 Pendant" - height 120cm/47.2" - satin brass - crystal - LEDS
Located in Firenze, IT
Il Pezzo 12 is a female figure suspended in the air, carrying in her womb the light. It’s nimble, refined, addictive. The solid clearest crystal, brilliantly illuminated by two LEDs,...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Brass

Chinese 19th Century Qing Chair with Open Arms and Hand-Carved Floral Motifs
Located in Yonkers, NY
A Chinese Qing Dynasty period wooden armchair from the 19th century, with hand-carved motifs, serpentine open arms and straight legs with stretchers. Created in China during the Qing Dynasty, this chair features an open wooden back, adorned with a curving splat accented with a hand-carved floral motif, responding beautifully to the carved décor connecting the upper rail to the side supports. Two serpentine open arms with swan neck frontal supports rest on the rectangular seat presenting a central recessed panel. The chair is raised on four traditional legs, connected to one another through side stretchers or varying heights. With its clean lines, lovely light brown lacquer finish and delicate décor, this 19th century Qing Dynasty Chinese chair...
Category

19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood

Jagae, Black coffee table with mother of pearl embellisments
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Jagae, unique coffee table, 2022 by Wknd Lab Color: Black Size: 70.0 x 55.0 x 84.0 cm Technique: Lacquer, Mother of pearls mosaic Material: Wood Heritage: Korea The Jagae table is a...
Category

2010s North Korean Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mother-of-Pearl, Wood

19th Century German Biedermeier Polished Walnut Foldable, Antique Center Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A round, antique early German Biedermeier center table made of hand crafted shellac polished Walnut, in good condition. The top of the detailed dining table is foldable, particularized by a star-shaped veneer pattern...
Category

Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Walnut

A Petite Arts & Crafts Mahogany Display Cabinet in the Anglo-Japanese Style.
Located in London, GB
A petite Arts and Crafts mahogany display cabinet in the Anglo-Japanese style with chequer string inlays and carved fern details to the upper sides with stained and coloured leaded f...
Category

Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Stained Glass, Ebony, Mahogany

Pair of Empire mahogany armchairs - swan shaped armrest - attributed to Bellange
By Pierre-Antoine Bellangé, Lelièvre Paris
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
A fine pair of Empire mahogany armchairs in the style of French cabinet maker Pierre Antoine Bellangé (Bellangé was an official supplier to Imp...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Silk, Mahogany

Mahogany Two Door Bookcase
Located in Annville, PA
This Mahogany Two Door Bookcase from Niagara Furniture can be used to display your most valued collectables. This bookcase is a perfect size to fit i...
Category

2010s Renaissance Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Glass, Mahogany

18th Century Swedish Beechwood Herrbyrå, Chiffonje - Mens Writing Agency, Chest
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 18th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian Herrbyrå, Chiffonje mens writing agency, secretary table with a writing, folding flap made of hand crafted polished Beechwood, in good ...
Category

Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Metal

Campaign Box Carved Gentleman's British Army WW2 Regimental Arms
Located in Cheltenham, GB
Campaign Box Carved Gentleman's British Army WW2 Regimental Arms Beautifully stylized and masterfully carved wooden box of floral and fruit foliage bas-rel...
Category

19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Campaign Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Fruitwood

Leather Swan Arm Chair
Located in Annville, PA
This high end Leather Swan Arm Chair from Niagara Furniture is impressive with solid mahogany hand carved details as well as the full grain genuine leather upholstery. A great designer look with a solid and comfortable frame. Inspired by an antique chair...
Category

2010s Renaissance Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

French Louis XV Style Green-Lacquered and Parcel Giltwood Carved Chaise Lounge
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French Louis XV Style Green-Lacquered and Parcel Giltwood Carved Chaise Lounge Armchair. The rounded backrest carved and caned frame in the shape of an extended armchair, with an e...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XV Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Cane, Giltwood

Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
This Mahogany Secretary Desk from Niagara Furniture has all the outstanding qualities of an antique original. Made of select mahogany solids and maho...
Category

2010s Renaissance Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Swedish Mahogany Spinning Tilt-Top Table
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A Swedish 19th century round tilt top table with a faux bois finish. This versatile little table is perfect for a small dining experience or used as a side table. Impressive burl fau...
Category

19th Century Swedish Other Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood, Paint

Two Drawer Bookcase
Located in Annville, PA
The Niagara Furniture version of a Two Drawer Bookcase. One of our favorite bookcases this item features a simple yet elegant design that makes it useful anywhere in the home. Often ...
Category

2010s Hepplewhite Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Early 18th Century French XIV Walnut Sofa
Located in Charleston, SC
18th century French Louis XIV walnut sofa with gracefully curved back, the seat supported by turned front legs and turned center stretcher. Newly upholstered in rich brown color velv...
Category

Early 18th Century French Louis XIV Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

Madras Armchair in Vert Green by Laura Gonzalez
Located in Paris, FR
The Madras armchair is made with a hand-carved wooden base and hand-painted in high-gloss moss green lacquer. This flagship armchair from our collectio...
Category

2010s French Art Deco Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood, Fabric

One of a Kind & Small Art Deco Alabaster Pendant Light with Unique Color Pattern
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautifully rounded and amazing color pattern alabaster pendant. If you are looking for a unique and great quality antique light fixture to grace your living space then this beautifully designed and all-handcrafted alabaster chandelier could be perfect for you. We have seen and sold many alabaster light fixtures and thanks to their true beauty and timeless designs we are certain we will make many more clients happy with them. However, we don't think we will ever again find one with an alabaster shade with such a unique and aesthetically beautiful natural pattern. This really is a one of a kind find and the combination of the timeless alabaster shade, its unique color pattern, the matching shape canopy AND the complementing color rope is an absolute joy to look at. Have you also noticed the three unique and intricately knotted suspension points? They are like the icing on the cake of this work of art (deco) light fixture. Thanks to the metal hook inside the canopy, mounting this light onto your ceiling is child's play. This alabaster pendant has a very warm look and feel and it radiates the kind of light that makes you immediately feel at home. Mind you, this antique light is rewired to the highest standard for safe and immediate usage the world over. If you like this wonderful creation-of-mother-nature light...
Category

Early 20th Century European Art Deco Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Alabaster, Brass

George III English Mahogany Metamorphic Demilune Console Triple Flip Game Table
Located in Chicago, IL
The George III style produced exceptional quality pieces that many collectors have deemed the finest examples of furniture design. During this time Georgian furniture makers preferre...
Category

Late 18th Century English George III Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

New England Hitchcock Style Chair with Woven Rush Seat
Located in Norton, MA
A New England Hitchcock Style/Fancy chair. Hand painted/stenciled with a deep and rich patination from years of good wear. The seat is woven rush seats and is in very good condition....
Category

19th Century American Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood

Exceptional Black Forest Wood Carved Brienz Wild Boar Inkwell German Antique
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic 1890s Black Forest desk accessory carved from wood in the shape of a wild boar. A lovely addition to your room or just to use on your desk. Made from hand carved wood. Found ...
Category

1890s German Black Forest Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood

Pair of Solid Wood Bedside Tables with Grey Murano Glass, Brass Edges & Handles
Located in Guazzora, IT
Pair of solid wood bedside tables with grey Murano glass, brass edges and handles: an example of Italian craftsmanship and mid-century modern style. Each bedside table features a sm...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Brass

Hand Painted / Decorated Chinoiserie Scene Red Lacquered Cabinet
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Elevate your decor with this luxurious mid-20th-century chinoiserie cabinet, a masterpiece of oriental artistry and functionality. Finished in a rich, vibrant red lacquer, this cabin...
Category

1960s Asian Chinoiserie Vintage Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Brass

Iron Wall Lantern Antique Rust with Glass 1 of 6 for Outdoor European Style
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Outdoor hand-forged iron light fixtures by Dana Creath Designs. Iron Wall Lantern With Antique Rust Finish Glass Enclosed 2-Arm Sconce 1 of 6 for Outdoors. This Antique European look half wall iron lantern will bring a classic look to your favorite sitting area. The flat back of this wrought iron lantern with glass allows it to be hung architecturally from any wall of the house indoor or outdoors. Vintage wrought iron exterior wall lanterns with frosted glass in textured French seedy look. These old rust bronze color iron wall mounted lanterns are suitable for wet outdoor area or could be used indoor as well. Dimensions: 13"w x 6"d x 18.5"h. Finish: Antique Iron Burnished Rust Brown Bronze color. Glass: Antique French Seedy look. Lamping: 2 candelabra E12. Wattage: 60 watt max per bulb. European Mediterranean, French Provincial Tuscany style wall lantern. There are 6 wall mounted outdoor lanterns in rust brown finish available, price is for one. All glass front and side are in good condition. In galvanized and powder-coated iron closed at the back and glass panels on front and sides, it will enhance your Spanish or traditional decor and add a warm glow to either an indoor or outdoor setting. Great to use in any Old Spanish, Mediterranean, Italian Tuscan, Traditional or French Victorian style architectural home. Provenance: From an old charm Mediterranean Spanish Colonial Home in Montecito Santa BarBara in California. Condition: Due to the old nature of this fixture, there may be some nicks or imperfections in the glass as well as variations from piece to piece. Handcrafted by Dana Creath Designs in California, they have been producing the finest hand forged iron lighting...
Category

Late 20th Century American Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

Contemporary Italian Art Deco 7-Leaf Palm Tree Organic Modern Brass Floor Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Can be produced in different colored lacquers and finishes as per image. An organic modern floor lamp, entirely handcrafted in Italy, a very realistic contemporary creation with an Art Deco glamour feel. The base in brass is elegantly refinished with a round thick rock glass plinth...
Category

2010s Italian Hollywood Regency Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Brass

Pair of West African Baga Nimba Carved Fertility Mask Sculptures
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Amazing pair of imposing West African Baga Nimba fertility shoulder mask sculptures or statues carved from teak. The headdresses depict busts of women on fo...
Category

20th Century Guinean Tribal Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Tin

Organic Wabi Sabi Rustic Side Table, 1950s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Spanish Side Table in Natural Wood Spanish Brutalist Wabi Sabi Rustic Tripod Side Table, 1950s Eye-catching wooden rustic tripod four footed side table with organic design and natural finish. This sculptural end or side table has a primitive construction and Wabi Sabi inspiration. Its patina and construction show natural imperfection showing pass of time. Minor repairs on the base but still strong and sound with highly decorative organic forms. Entirely made by hand. It comes from the Northern Spain. In good vintage condition with small signs from age and use. Measures: 48 cm W x 37 cm D x 52 cm H // 18,89 in W x 14,56 in D x 20,47 in H Wabi Sabi Wood Table // Rustic Wooden Table // Primitive Folk Art Table // Spanish Rustic Coffee Table
Category

20th Century Spanish Brutalist Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood

African Wood Female Bust Figurative Sculpture Mandinka Woman
Located in London, GB
The African wood female bust figurative sculpture of a Mandinka woman is a striking piece of art that encapsulates the cultural heritage and craftsmanship of West Africa. Hand-carved...
Category

20th Century Gambian Tribal Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood

Monoxyl Nude Study of Venus, France 1960s
Located in London, England
Beautiful study of Venus, direct carved into solid afromosia. It shows a stylized and simplified female torso, focusing on the flow and curves of the human form rather than on realis...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Teak

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Pair of Walnut Nightstands, Vintage Side Tables
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A dark-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian pair of nightstands made of hand crafted polished Walnut, in good condition. Each of the rectangular bed...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Metal, Brass

Vintage Marble Chess Set with Hand Carved Turquoise and White Onyx Pieces
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Marble Large Chess Set with hand carved Turquoise and White Onyx Pieces. 1950s. Vintage mid 20th century Mexican stone marble chess set comple...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Onyx, Marble

Witco Hacienda Bar and Three Stools
Located in Hanover, MA
25% Discount Sale Price through July 2024, Includes bar and three stools. Original Witco Hacienda bar (model X265) and THREE stools (model K-55B) by William Westenhaver. Hand and chainsaw carved. No two are identical. Indulge in some cultural appropriation and add this Mid-Century Modern Polynesian Tiki...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood

Mid 19th century original paint Swedish pine dining table
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Mid 19th century original paint Swedish pine bakers table circa 1850. We are pleased to offer this beautiful Swedish bakers table which offers many possibilities for use around the ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Rustic Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Pine, Paint

19th Century French Louis XV Style Carved Walnut and Marble Console Table
Located in Chicago, IL
19th Century French Louis XV-style carved walnut console table with a marble top. The furniture of the Louis XV period is characterized by curved forms, asymmetry, and an overall lig...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Marble

Italian Alabaster Marble Jewelry or Desk Box
Located in New York, NY
An Italian dark brown alabaster marble jewelry box with a blue matte metal hinge. Box can hold jewelry or other small items. A great piece for a desk, vanity, nightstand, walk-in clo...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Alabaster, Marble, Metal

Country French Provincial Oval Farmhouse Maple Trestle Dining Table
Located in Astoria, NY
An elegant early 20th-century French Provincial dining table, sourced from Provence, France. Beautifully handcrafted from solid maple, it showcases a naturally aged honey-brown patin...
Category

Early 20th Century French French Provincial Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Maple

Pair of Handmade French Art Deco Style Alabaster & Bronze Sconces / Wall Lights
Located in Lisse, NL
Excellent condition sconces with a marvellous 'cloud pattern' in the stunning alabaster shades. This French pair of alabaster sconces is beautiful in shape and practical in size. Ha...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Alabaster, Bronze

Cosmic Relics 12 - Sten Studio - 2025 - Unique - Natural stones totem
Located in Tampa, FL
Materials: Jasper onyx, pink onyx, blue sky marble, amber onyx. Cosmic Relics totems are limited edition of 8 + 2AP, unique variations; each sculpture has a different set of stones ...
Category

2010s Mexican Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Stone, Onyx, Limestone, Travertine, Marble

18th Century Walnut Wood Commode from Bordeaux, France
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand-carved in walnut wood during the 1700s, this lovely commode hails from Bordeaux, France. The top has a subtle arbalete curve with quarter-round molding, while the sides have a m...
Category

18th Century French Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Early 19th century rustic Swedish painted wall cupboard
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Early 19th century Swedish painted wall cupboard circa 1822. Fine quality Dalarna region wall cupboard.  Hand painted in orange, reds and greens.  Shaped cornice below which the ini...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Folk Art Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Pine, Paint

King Size Mahogany Poster Bed
Located in Annville, PA
A King Size Mahogany Poster Bed. A Solid Mahogany Frame and the finest mahogany veneered headboard panel combine together to create a beautiful and ...
Category

2010s Chippendale Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

18th Century French Louis XVI Musical Trophy Boiserie Panel in Carved Oak Frame
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand carved during the reign of Louis XVI, this linden wood and oak plaque was originally a boiserie panel that would have adorned the wall of a French manor...
Category

18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Wood, Oak

Italian Brass Swing Arm Floor Reading Lamp Rectangle Genuine Taupe Marble Base
Located in Miami, FL
Mid-Century Modern Italian two patina Brass swing arm floor or reading lamp mounted on a beige genuine hand crafted marble base. Comes with a footswitch and the shade rotates. Wire...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Marble, Metal, Brass

18th Century Dutch Gateleg / Drop-leaf Table / Side Table / Center Table
Located in Viterbo, VT
Gateleg / Drop-leaf table hand-made in the Netherlands in the late 1700s using oak. The table has a round shape when opened and its size make it perfect for an entry table; neverthel...
Category

Early 18th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Oak

Antique Painting of Holy Mary & Child after Nicolo Barabino in Oak Gothic Frame
Located in Lisse, NL
Symbolic and meaningful work of religious art with original label on the back. Framed oil on wooden panel, Madonna and child, after Italian Nicolo Barabino (1833-1891). The original...
Category

1890s Italian Gothic Revival Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Oak, Paint, Wood

84 inch Round Perimeter Table
Located in Annville, PA
The 84 inch Round Perimeter Table is produced with a figured mahogany field and satinwood banding on the top which makes for an interesting contrast. S...
Category

2010s Regency Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Spanish Gilt Wood Mirror
Located in New York, NY
A circa 1940's Spanish gilt mirror with mirror insets. Measurements: Height: 46" Width:  34" Depth: 4"
Category

1940s Spanish Vintage Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Giltwood

Japanese antique wall-hanging wooden Buddha statue/Edo period/1603-1868/Wabisabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a wooden Buddha statue made around the Edo period in Japan. Although it is a small Buddha statue, it has a strong presence and is beautiful. Originally, there was a wooden pe...
Category

18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Cypress

French Art Nouveau Table Lamp by Emile Galle ''Vosges Paysage'' Cameo Glass 1900
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Breathtaking French Art Nouveau table lamp by Emile Gallé early 1900 model: ''Vosges Paysage'' simply exquisite. Multilayer glass lamp with engraved decoration in brilliant reserve of a blue and green Vosges landscape, on the foot, and on the hat of eagles in flight, on an opaque yellow background. Gilded bronze mount with three claws and two lights. Signed "Gallé" in reserve, on both elements. Looks amazing when lit, museum worthy Art Nouveau piece and a must have for any collector This original Emile Galle lamp...
Category

Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Empire Period Carved Giltwood Rectangular Mirror with Crest
Located in Miami, FL
19th Century French Empire period carved giltwood rectangular mirror. An exceptional matched hand carved and gilded French mirror. Highly carved with flowers, original glass and ori...
Category

1890s French Regency Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Giltwood

An Antique French Statuary White Marble Louis XVI Style Fireplace mantel
Located in London, GB
An antique 19th century Statuary white marble Louis XVI style fireplace mantel, with bow fronted frieze and shelf. The jambs with deep side returns and fluted front panels terminatin...
Category

1880s French Louis XVI Antique Hand-Carved Furniture

Materials

Statuary Marble

After Raffaello Sanzio 1483-1520 Raphael La Madonna della Seggiola Oil on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fine Italian 19th Century Oil Painting on Canvas "La Madonna della Seggiola" after Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino 1483-1520). The circular painted canvas depicting a seated Madonna holding an infant Jesus Christ next to a child Saint John the Baptist, all within a massive carved gilt wood and gesso frame, which is identical to the frame on Raphael's original artwork. This painting is a 19th Century copy of Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola painted in 1514 and currently exhibited and part of the permanent collection at the Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, Florence, Italy. The bodies of the Virgin, Christ, and the boy Baptist fill the whole picture. The tender, natural looking embrace of the Mother and Child, and the harmonious grouping of the figures in the round, have made this one of Raphael's most popular Madonnas. The isolated chair leg is reminiscent of papal furniture, which has led to the assumption that Leo X himself commissioned the painting. A retailer's label reads " Fred K/ Keer's Sons - Framers and Fine Art Dealers - 917 Broad St. Newark, N.J." - Another label from the gilder reads "Carlo Bartolini - Doratore e Verniciatori - Via Maggio 1924 - Firenze". Circa: 1890-1900. Subject: Religious painting Canvas diameter: 28 inches (71.1 cm) Frame height: 54 inches (137.2 cm) Frame width: 42 1/2 inches (108 cm) Frame depth: 5 1/2 inches (14 cm) Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Italian, March 28 or April 6, 1483 - April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period. Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates. Raphael was born in the small but artistically significant central Italian city of Urbino in the Marche region, where his father Giovanni Santi was court painter to the Duke. The reputation of the court had been established by Federico III da Montefeltro, a highly successful condottiere who had been created Duke of Urbino by the Pope - Urbino formed part of the Papal States - and who died the year before Raphael was born. The emphasis of Federico's court was rather more literary than artistic, but Giovanni Santi was a poet of sorts as well as a painter, and had written a rhymed chronicle of the life of Federico, and both wrote the texts and produced the decor for masque-like court entertainments. His poem to Federico shows him as keen to show awareness of the most advanced North Italian painters, and Early Netherlandish artists as well. In the very small court of Urbino he was probably more integrated into the central circle of the ruling family than most court painters. Federico was succeeded by his son Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, who married Elisabetta Gonzaga, daughter of the ruler of Mantua, the most brilliant of the smaller Italian courts for both music and the visual arts. Under them, the court continued as a centre for literary culture. Growing up in the circle of this small court gave Raphael the excellent manners and social skills stressed by Vasari. Court life in Urbino at just after this period was to become set as the model of the virtues of the Italian humanist court through Baldassare Castiglione's depiction of it in his classic work The Book of the Courtier, published in 1528. Castiglione moved to Urbino in 1504, when Raphael was no longer based there but frequently visited, and they became good friends. He became close to other regular visitors to the court: Pietro Bibbiena and Pietro Bembo, both later cardinals, were already becoming well known as writers, and would be in Rome during Raphael's period there. Raphael mixed easily in the highest circles throughout his life, one of the factors that tended to give a misleading impression of effortlessness to his career. He did not receive a full humanistic education however; it is unclear how easily he read Latin. Early Life and Works His mother Màgia died in 1491 when Raphael was eight, followed on August 1, 1494 by his father, who had already remarried. Raphael was thus orphaned at eleven; his formal guardian became his only paternal uncle Bartolomeo, a priest, who subsequently engaged in litigation with his stepmother. He probably continued to live with his stepmother when not staying as an apprentice with a master. He had already shown talent, according to Vasari, who says that Raphael had been "a great help to his father". A self-portrait drawing from his teenage years shows his precocity. His father's workshop continued and, probably together with his stepmother, Raphael evidently played a part in managing it from a very early age. In Urbino, he came into contact with the works of Paolo Uccello, previously the court painter (d. 1475), and Luca Signorelli, who until 1498 was based in nearby Città di Castello. According to Vasari, his father placed him in the workshop of the Umbrian master Pietro Perugino as an apprentice "despite the tears of his mother". The evidence of an apprenticeship comes only from Vasari and another source, and has been disputed—eight was very early for an apprenticeship to begin. An alternative theory is that he received at least some training from Timoteo Viti, who acted as court painter in Urbino from 1495.Most modern historians agree that Raphael at least worked as an assistant to Perugino from around 1500; the influence of Perugino on Raphael's early work is very clear: "probably no other pupil of genius has ever absorbed so much of his master's teaching as Raphael did", according to Wölfflin. Vasari wrote that it was impossible to distinguish between their hands at this period, but many modern art historians claim to do better and detect his hand in specific areas of works by Perugino or his workshop. Apart from stylistic closeness, their techniques are very similar as well, for example having paint applied thickly, using an oil varnish medium, in shadows and darker garments, but very thinly on flesh areas. An excess of resin in the varnish often causes cracking of areas of paint in the works of both masters. The Perugino workshop was active in both Perugia and Florence, perhaps maintaining two permanent branches. Raphael is described as a "master", that is to say fully trained, in December 1500. His first documented work was the Baronci altarpiece for the church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in Città di Castello, a town halfway between Perugia and Urbino. Evangelista da Pian di Meleto, who had worked for his father, was also named in the commission. It was commissioned in 1500 and finished in 1501; now only some cut sections and a preparatory drawing remain. In the following years he painted works for other churches there, including the Mond Crucifixion (about 1503) and the Brera Wedding of the Virgin (1504), and for Perugia, such as the Oddi Altarpiece. He very probably also visited Florence in this period. These are large works, some in fresco, where Raphael confidently marshals his compositions in the somewhat static style of Perugino. He also painted many small and exquisite cabinet paintings in these years, probably mostly for the connoisseurs in the Urbino court, like the Three Graces and St. Michael, and he began to paint Madonnas and portraits. In 1502 he went to Siena at the invitation of another pupil of Perugino, Pinturicchio, "being a friend of Raphael and knowing him to be a draughtsman of the highest quality" to help with the cartoons, and very likely the designs, for a fresco series in the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral. He was evidently already much in demand even at this early stage in his career. Influence of Florence Raphael led a "nomadic" life, working in various centres in Northern Italy, but spent a good deal of time in Florence, perhaps from about 1504. Although there is traditional reference to a "Florentine period...
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