Skip to main content

Imitator of Raphael, 'Portrait of a Young Man', early 16th and late 19th century

Key facts
Full title Portrait of a Young Man
Artist Imitator of Raphael
Artist dates 1483 - 1520
Date made early 16th and late 19th century
Medium and support oil on wood
Dimensions 26.6 × 21.6 cm
Acquisition credit Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number NG2510
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
Previous owners
George Salting
Portrait of a Young Man
Imitator of Raphael
/

In the past this painting was believed to be a portrait of Raphael as the sitter slightly resembles his self portrait in The School of Athens of 1509–11 (Vatican). It is not, however, by Raphael and is probably not a portrait of him either. It was previously described as Umbrian and possibly Bolognese. At one time it was also believed to be by Raphael’s associate, Timoteo Viti (1469–1523), who became court painter in Urbino after the death of Raphael’s father.

Technical examination suggests that the picture is an old one, but the face has been entirely repainted and the painting seems artificially aged. It was probably purchased at a high price by the collector George Salting as a self portrait by Raphael and it entered the National Gallery’s collection as part of the Salting Bequest in 1910.

Download image
Download low-resolution image

Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.

License this image

License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.

License image
Download low-resolution image

This image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.

Examples of non-commercial use are:

  • Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
  • Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media

The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.

As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.

Download low-resolution image

You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.

Creative Commons Logo

Related paintings

(Showing 6 of 13 works)
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Raphael
This portrait of the careworn Pope Julius II (1443–1513) is usually dated to the one-and-a-half-year period during which he wore a beard. He grew it in 1510 as a token of mortification while recovering from a serious illness brought on by the loss of Bologna to the French, and vowed not to shave...
Room 12
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Raphael
Catherine of Alexandria, a fourth-century princess, was converted to Christianity and in a vision underwent a mystic marriage with Christ. When she would not give up her faith, Emperor Maxentius ordered that she be bound to a spiked wheel and tortured to death. However, a thunderbolt destroyed th...
Not on display
Saint John the Baptist Preaching
Saint John the Baptist Preaching
Raphael
This painting is the only surviving scene from the predella (base) of Raphael’s altarpiece for the Ansidei chapel in S. Fiorenzo, Perugia. The main panel of the altarpiece, ‘The Ansidei Madonna’, is also in the National Gallery’s collection. This predella panel would have been placed beneath the...
Not on display
The Ansidei Madonna
The Ansidei Madonna
Raphael
This is the main panel of the altarpiece Raphael painted for the Ansidei family chapel in the Servite Church of S. Fiorenzo in Perugia in 1505.The Virgin sits in majesty on a carved wooden throne with the Christ Child on her lap. She draws his attention to a passage in the book on her knee. A str...
Room 11
The Dream of a Knight
The Dream of a Knight
Raphael
While resting in the shade of a bay tree, the young soldier Scipio has a vision of Virtue and her adversary Pleasure. Virtue promises Scipio honour, fame and glory through victory in war. Pleasure, with fragrant flowing hair, promises a life of ease and serenity.Raphael interpreted the theme not...
Not on display
The Garvagh Madonna
The Garvagh Madonna
Raphael
In this little picture Raphael depicts the moment when the Christ Child takes a carnation, traditionally symbolic of divine love and the Passion (Christ’s torture and crucifixion), from his cousin John the Baptist’s hand. The space between the children’s hands is the centre of the careful geometr...
Not on display
The Madonna and Child (The Mackintosh Madonna)
The Madonna and Child (The Mackintosh Madonna)
Raphael
The infant Christ throws his arms affectionately around his mother’s neck and smiles at us. But the Virgin Mary’s eyes are downcast, as though her thoughts are already on his future sacrifice.The painting probably dates from the early years of Raphael’s time in Rome. It is called the ‘Mackintosh...
Not on display
The Madonna of the Pinks ('La Madonna dei Garofani')
The Madonna of the Pinks ('La Madonna dei Garofani')
Raphael
In this painting, Raphael transforms the familiar subject of the Virgin and Child into something entirely new. The figures are no longer posed stiffly and formally as in paintings by earlier artists, but display all the tender emotions one might expect between a young mother and her child. The pa...
Not on display
The Mond Crucifixion
The Mond Crucifixion
Raphael
One of Raphael’s earliest works, this altarpiece was commissioned by the wool merchant and banker Domenico Gavari for his burial chapel dedicated to Saint Jerome in the church of S. Domenico in Città di Castello, Umbria.Christ’s body hangs from the Cross. Two angels balance on delicate slivers of...
Room 11
The Procession to Calvary
The Procession to Calvary
Raphael
This is one of three scenes from the predella of Raphael’s Colonna Altarpiece painted for the convent of S. Antonio da Padua in Perugia. The Procession to Calvary was the central scene of the predella, positioned below the main panel of the altarpiece.Christ looks to us as he carries the Cross, h...
Not on display
A Female Saint
A Female Saint
Italian, Ferrarese or Bolognese follower of Raphael
This painting may be an idealised portrait of a woman in the guise of a saint, as she has a thin gold halo above her head. She looks directly at us and presses her right hand against her breast. Her oval face, strong regular features and plaited bound hairstyle give her the appearance of a woman...
Not on display
The Madonna and Child
The Madonna and Child
After Raphael
This is a copy of Raphael’s Virgin and Child known as ‘The Bridgewater Madonna’. The original is on loan to the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh from the Duke of Sutherland’s collection.The copy is similar in size and in most colours and follows Raphael’s style closely, making it difficult...
Not on display
The Sistine Madonna
The Sistine Madonna
Jakob Schlesinger, after Raphael
Jakob Schlesinger (1792–1855) made this tracing in 1822 of the Sistine Madonna by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483–1520). Drawn in pencil, it is formed of 24 pieces of paper pasted together and mounted on a canvas the same size as the painting. Schlesinger was a painter and picture re...
Not on display
You've viewed 6 of 13 paintings