God the Father and the Nativity

A lithograph reproducing two paintings: at the top, God the Father that Ruland (1876) catalogued as a copy by Stefano Amadei (but is now dubitably attributed to Domenico Alfani) after the tympanum of the Baglioni Altarpiece. At the bottom the Nativity by Domenico Alfani, over which the headpiece had been formerly placed. Both paintings are now in the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, Perugia (inv. nos. 288 and 351). This print is lettered with the title. Plate no.111 from a-yet-unidentified set.

The wood panel depicting God the Father was the headpiece of the Baglioni Altarpiece, whose central panel is the Borghese Entombment, an oil painting by Raphael (1507) now in the Galleria Borghese, Rome (inv.no. 170). The so-called Borghese Entombment was executed by Raphael for the church of San Francesco al Prato in Perugia and commissioned by Atalanta Baglioni to commemorate the death of her son Grifonetto, who was murdered in 1500. Raphael is documented in Perugia in 1505, when scholars believe that Raphael received the commission, and the majority of his preparatory drawings are dated c.1506-07. See RCIN 850288 for a photograph of the painting.

It is matter of dispute whether the painting of God the Father is a copy after a (now lost) work by Raphael or whether Raphael "left the execution of the painting to an assistant" (see Bibliographic References).