RIGA.- Thanks to the Marche Region, Embassy of Italy in Latvia and the National Gallery of the Marche, the painting Santa Caterina d’Alessandria by Raphael, an outstanding artist of Italian Renaissance, is on display from 21 March to 22 April 2018 at the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE in Riga (Doma laukums 6). This is the first time when Raphael’s art is exhibited in Latvia.

Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, 1483–1520) 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 visitors of the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE 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 USA.

The display of the painting Santa Caterina d’Alessandria by Raphael is a gift from the Marche Region to the Republic of Latvia on its Centenary.

The National Gallery of the Marche is located in Urbino, the hometown of Raphael, at the majestic 15th century Palazzo Ducale. The gallery contains a vast number of art works which are on show to the public. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics, coins, drawings and some furnishings dating back to the 13th through the 18th century, but the focus is on the Italian Renaissance painting.

Museum visitors will not only be able to see the Raphael’s masterpiece, but also participate in different events related to Italian culture by discovering the Marche region.