Two portraits from the canonisation of St Catherine of Siena

An etching reproducing two figures in the left foreground of the 'Canonisation of St Catherine of Siena' painted by Pinturicchio and his workshop (1502-07/08) in the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral. This print is lettered with the attribution to Pinturicchio for the painting, the title and numbered XVI. Signed by the printmaker. Published in J.D. Passavant, 'Rafael Von Urbino Und Sein Vater Giovanni Santi', 1858, vol. 3, plate XVI.

This painting depicts the body of the saint laid before the Pope, with a crowd in the foreground including supposed self-portraits of Raphael and Pinturicchio.

The decoration of the Piccolomini library was commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Todeschino Piccolomini (later Pope Pius III) in 1502 from Raphael's older Perugian contemporary Pinturicchio. The frescoes illustrate events in the life of Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini), the Cardinal's uncle. Vasari credited Raphael with executing 'some drawings and some cartoons' for the library at the express request of Pinturicchio. Scholarly opinion has been divided over the attribution of preparatory drawings for the frescoes, but at least five drawings convincingly related to the decorative scheme are considered to be by Raphael (see Bibliographic References).