Raphael Sanzio da Urbino

 More directly known as Raphael... that marvelous painter of the High Renaissance whose work was loved by God (as they say), popes (and not just one), and the people (still, to this day).  Raphaelo Santi was the son of painter Giovanni Santi and the family home just happens to be right across the street from my palazzo.  Born in 1483 in Urbino.  His father was a court painter, who did lots of commissions of religious subject matter but also portraits of noble families and merchants.  Here are examples of his work:

The family home is now a museum.  They try to outfit it so that it gives you a sense of being lived in still.  It is fun to wander around and imagine just that, how one lived in this old house (old even then!):

And being an art museum, it includes lots of works by Raphael, including some of his early drawings:

Raphael's dad died when he was 11.  At such a young age, he actually took over his father's studio, managing commissions and stepping up to complete works of his own.  Here is a sculpture of him as a young, and they say very handsome guy:

There are many actual Raphael works in the museum, though the lesser ones.  All the big guys are in larger museums.  You know, the Vatican.  That is where you will find Raphael's masterwork "The School of Athens" in the papal palace.  And of course, "The Lady and the Unicorn," which is actually a portrait of Giulia Farnese, Pope Alexander VI's (Rodrigo Borgia) longtime mistress:

This is just a copy, though, as you can tell by the way her eyes are done (i.e., not well).  The real one is in the Borghese Gallery, I believe.  

Another awesome thing is his skull, which was unearthed in the 18th century from his tomb in the Pantheon for the purpose of making copies so that we could have a better idea of what he looked like.  That is SO 18th century....