SSTEIN Research Proj- Raphael’s Cartoons for the Sistine Chapel Tapestries

V & A (n.d) The Raphael Cartoons. Retrieved from
 http://www.vam.ac.uk/users/node/1718

In Christ’s Charge to Peter, Christ is speaking to the disciples and telling peter that he will give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. After Christ’s resurrection he appears before the disciples and charges peter to feed his sheep. The religious context indicates that Christ selected peter as the foundation of the church. In the cartoon Christ points towards the flock of sheep and with his other hand points at peter, appointing him to his position in the church. Leonardo’s intention was to make the focal point of the composition to be in the direction of Christ pointing figure to the kneeling ST. Peter.

Raphael
'Christ's Charge to Peter'
1515-16

In Raphael’s ‘Paul preaching at Athens’, Paul is shown talking to the Areopagus at Athens. The Areopagus is known as the seat of judicial councilors. There are two men behind Paul as he preaches, these men could have been molded after Pope Leo and Janus Lascaris. Pope Leo was very interested in what Paul had to say. This represent him following in Paul’s footsteps. The bottom two figures in the right of the painting are thought to not have been painted by Raphael himself. They are thought to have been painted by his follower Giulio Romano because they seem to be an afterthought that does not fit the composition in either scale or form.

Raphael
'Paul Preaching at Athens'
1515-16