The Prophet Isaiah

An etching by Nicholas Chaperon reproducing the fresco The Prophet Isaiah, painted by Raphael in the church of Sant'Agostino, Rome, c.1511-12. Lettered, in the scroll held by Isaiah, with title and publication details and, at bottom left, with the printmaker's signature. Dedicated (in the cartouche at the top) to Egidio Renard, an advisor to Louis XIV. Trimmed to image. Second state. The second plate of 'Sacrae Historiae Acta a Raphael Urbin in Vaticanis xystis ad picturae miraculum expressa', Rome, 1649.

The Prophet Isaiah was commissioned by Johann Goritz, a curial prelate, humanist and patron of the arts, for a pier in Sant'Agostino. The fresco formed part of a decorative ensemble which also included a sculpture of the Virgin, Child and St Anne by Andrea Sansovino and an altar; Goritz's tomb lies below the pier. The monumental figure of Raphael's fresco especially reveals the influence of Michelangelo's work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, though Raphael probably did not completely repaint the figure of Isaiah after seeing his contemporary's works, as Vasari claimed.