This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

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Portraits

Portraits

    Portrait of a Cardinal

    c.1853-76

    Albumen print | RCIN 852060

    A photograph of a painting by Raphael (c.1510-11) now in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (inv. P-299). The identity of the sitter has been an ongoing matter of debate. Ruland (1876) followed Passavant (1860) and identified the portrayed cardinal as Dovizio da Bibbiena. More recently Henry/Joannides (2012) have suggested that the sitter may be identifiable as Cardinal Francesco Alidosi (1450/60-1511), supporting an opinion previously expressed by other scholars. For further discussion, see Bibliographic References. Another photograph of the painting at RCIN 852061.
    • Acquired for the Prince Consort's Raphael Collection (c.1853-76)

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