Death of Raphael

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

John Sartain’s 1847 print *Death of Raphael* captures a poignant moment from art history: the final hours of the beloved Renaissance master, who died in Rome in 1520 at height of his fame. As American engraver working in the mid-nineteenth century, Sartain specialized in reproductive prints that brought celebrated European paintings and historical scenes to a wider audience. His choice of subject reflects the period’s deep fascination with the Old Masters and the romantic notion of the artist’s life and legacy. Though the precise medium remains unrecorded, the work’s classification as a print underscores Sartain’s important role in democratizing art. Through affordable engravings and mezzotints, he helped American audiences encounter the drama and emotion of European masterpieces without traveling abroad. The anonymous gift of this impression to the Smithsonian American Art Museum ensures that visitors today can still appreciate how nineteenth-century printmakers bridged continents and centuries, keeping Raphael’s story alive for new generations.