Logge di Rafaele nel Vaticano

A series of 37 prints by Giovanni Volpato and Giovani Ottaviani reproducing the ornamentation of the pilasters, half-pilasters and the vaults of the Loggia painted by the workshop of Raphael (c.1517-19) in the Vatican. Published as Volpato and Ottaviani, Logge di Rafaele nel Vaticano, Rome 1772-7.

This publication, issued in three parts, was the first to reproduce the ornamental decoration of the pilasters, half-pilasters and vaults of the Loggia in such comprehensive detail. It must be noted, however, that while the prints in the first and second parts of the publication reproduce the Loggia decoration faithfully, those of the third part instead combine different motifs from it to create new designs. The full extent of the publication ran to 46 plates, which includes frontispieces to each of the three parts. The final five plates of the third part were incorporated into the Raphael Collection portfolios for Raphael's tapestry designs, as the decoration of the central pilasters depicted in these prints is derived from the designs for the Sistine Chapel tapestry. See RCINs 853070, 853071, 853132, 853204 and 853205 for these prints.

The repeating sequence of decoration in the Loggia - see Dacos 2008 (Bibliographic References) for more information - is strongly influenced by the antique; Raphael had studied antique sculpture and painting in Rome.