Earliest Signature of Renaissance Artist Raphael Found in Painting
Hidden beneath arabesque decorations, art experts have found what they believe is the earliest signature placed on a painting by the Renaissance master Raphael (1483-1520), who at the time was a 16-year-old boy. Featuring the words "RAPHAEL SANT" -- Santi was Raphael's real surname -- the signature has been detected in an obscure painting that has been kept in private collections for the past three centuries. The finding will be unveiled on Saturday in Gothenburg, Sweden, where the painting will go on public show as one of the star attractions of the exhibit "…And There Was Light." Focusing on the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael -- the trinity of great masters of the Renaissance -- the show runs until Aug. 15. The 51.2 x 37.7 cm (20.1 x 14.8 inch) oil painting, called "The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine" or "The Betrothal of St. Catherine to the Infant Jesus," dates around 1499, when Raffaello Sanzio, known as Raphael, was an unusually tall and handsome teenager.
