‚Sublime Beauty: Raphael’s ‚Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn‘

San Francisco

The Legion of Honor of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is honored to host the first appearance of Raphael’s ‚Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn‚ on American soil. Coming from the Galleria Borghese, the iconic piece composes the core of the ‘Sublime Beauty’ exhibition.

Created in the beginning of the 16th century, ‚Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn‘ is an inevitable piece of High Renaissance master Raphael. Often compared to Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ for its alike pose and background landscape, the artwork has marked art history. Emblematic yet mysterious, the composition combines various symbolisms. The unicorn, symbol of chastity hints at a wedding painting in honor of the sleeping partner of the piece whose main subject, a young blond girl stays unidentified.

Organized as a collaboration between the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture and the Galleria Borghese, ‘Sublime Beauty: Raphael’s Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn’ celebrates a masterpiece of the High Renaissance.

Raphael (1483–1520), Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn, ca. 1505–1506. Oil on canvas, transferred from panel, 26 5/8 x 20 15/16 in. (67.7 x 53.2 cm). Galleria Borghese, Rome, inv 371

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

January 9 – April 10, 2016

100 34th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94121
USA

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