RAFFAELLO SANZIO (URBINO 1483 – ROMA 1520)
La Fornarina

1520 circa, olio su tavola, cm 87 x 63, Palazzo Barberini

According to tradition, the woman depicted is Raphael's lover and muse: Margherita Luti, daughter of a baker in Trastevere, hence the nickname "Fornarina". There is no news of who was the client of the work and this could support the hypothesis that Raphael painted it for himself in the last years of his life.
Whether or not it is Raphael's lover, behind this imperfect face, with its marked features, a representation of Venus is hidden. The laying of the hands, one resting on the lap, the other on the breast, follows the model of the "modest Venus" of classical statuary: a gesture of modesty that nevertheless directs the observer's gaze precisely on what one would like to hide. Symbols of the goddess of love are also the woman's bracelet on which we read "Raphael Urbinas", the author's signature and a pledge of love, as well as, in the background, the myrtle bush and the quince branch, a symbol of fertility .
The painting already belonged to the first owners of the building, the Sforza di Santafiora, and was one of the first to be purchased by the Barberinis.