The portrait of Pope Julius II is one of Raphael’s most famous works. The likeness of this extraordinarily art-minded – but also assertive and irascible – pope was executed in Rome between June 1511 and March 1512 and has come down to us in several versions. The Städel Museum recently succeeded in acquiring a hitherto unknown version of the Portrait of Pope Julius II by Raphael and his workshop, which has been on display in our Old Masters’ Collection since December 2011. A showcase exhibition taking place at the Städel Museum from 8 November 2013 to 16 February 2014 will address the theme of the papal portrait from various perspectives. To begin with, the likeness of the pope purchased for the Städel Museum will be united with the version belonging to the Uffizi in Florence, already likewise attributed to Raphael and his workshop, as well as Titian’s copy of ca. 1545/50 from the Palazzo Pitti as a means of making direct comparison between the paintings possible. This encounter between the originals will moreover be accompanied by a presentation of the findings of technical investigations of the three versions of the painting from Frankfurt, Florence and London as a basis for discussion on the relationship between them. A scholarly catalogue will explain the findings in detail and shed light on the portrait of Julius II from different angles.

Curator: Prof Dr Jochen Sander (Städel Museum)