The hidden dog beneath Raphael's famous unicorn portrait
In short: A 500-year-old mystery of Renaissance art reveals that one of Raphael's most iconic works was once completely different. This video explores the physical transformation of a masterpiece and why its original subject was intentionally erased.
Painted in 1505 when Raphael was only twenty-one, 'Portrait of a Young Woman with a Unicorn' underwent a radical metamorphosis over five centuries. Beneath the current unicorn lies a hidden dog, both of which remained concealed under layers of paint for more than two hundred years.
The video examines three distinct versions of the work, investigating why an unknown hand chose to obscure the unicorn and why Raphael originally substituted the dog in the first place.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Another Proof That Raphael Was a Genius
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