Portrait of a Cardinal

An engraving after a painting by Raphael (c.1510-11) now in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (inv. P-299). Lettered with production details, dedicatee's coat of arms and identification of sitter as Cardinal Giulio de' Medici. 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.