Other events in Baltic States

Renaissance era artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino's (1483–1520) painting Santa Caterina d’Alessandria will be on display from today until April 22 at the Riga Bourse Art Museum, LETA was told by museum spokeswoman Natalija Sujunsalijeva.

This is the first time Raphael’s art has been exhibited in Latvia.

Raphael is one of the greatest artists of the 15th–16th centuries. He was born in central Italian city of Urbino in the Marche region. Throughout his lifetime Raphael created countless masterpieces and his work always has been admired for its clarity of forms, lightness of composition, sense of harmony, as well as artist’s fascinating mastery of painting female portraits and the poetic, artistically perfect portrayal of Madonnas, the museum points out.

The visitors of the art museum will see Raphael’s early work Santa Caterina d’Alessandria (1500–1503) from the collection of the National Gallery of the Marche. This small vertical painting was possibly created as a side part of an altar piece, because both sides of the artwork are painted. On the other side of the painting is an imitation of marble and a circle with an inscription, which spectator could see when the altar was closed. The central part of the altar piece has not survived to this day, but the opposite side panel is in a private collection in United States.

The display of the painting is a gift from the Marche Region and the Italian Embassy to Latvia on its Centenary. The opening of the exhibition introduces the Marche Region Days in Riga and will continue to spread the beauty of Italian Renaissance culture until April 22.