La Perla (painting) facts for kids
La Perla (which means The Pearl in English) is a famous oil painting created by the Italian artist Raphael between 1518 and 1520. It is painted on canvas and shows a scene with several important figures.
Raphael was greatly influenced by another famous artist, Leonardo da Vinci, around this time. You can see this influence in how the characters are arranged in a pyramid shape. Also, the way light and shadows are used, and the realistic background landscape, show Leonardo's impact on Raphael's style.
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How Was La Perla Painted?
The final painting looks different from Raphael's first ideas, which he sketched in a drawing. Even though the painting follows the general shape of the drawing, many small details were changed.
Scientists used special tools like X-rays to look at the painting. They found an earlier version hidden underneath the top layer of paint. This first version looked very much like Raphael's original drawing. This tells us that Raphael worked on the painting in two main stages.
First, he painted a version that closely followed his drawing. Then, he made big changes to the painting. He wanted to create more excitement and tension in the scene, instead of the calm feeling of the first version. To do this, he added more curls to the children's hair and made the Virgin Mary's head sharper. He also made the fabric folds more complex and increased the contrast between light and shadow.
The Journey of La Perla
This painting might be the one mentioned by Giorgio Vasari in his book Lives of the Artists. He wrote that Raphael made a painting for Ludovico Canossa, who was a bishop.
Later, the painting was given to Vincenzo I Gonzaga. In 1627, it was bought by Charles I of Great Britain. After Charles I was executed, the painting went to one of his creditors, Edward Bass.
From Edward Bass, a Spanish nobleman named Alonso de Cárdenas bought it for Don Luis de Haro. Don Luis de Haro then gave it to Philip IV of Spain. King Philip IV loved the painting so much that he called it "the pearl" of his collection, and that's how it got its current name.
In 1813, Joseph Bonaparte took the painting to Paris, where it stayed until 1815. Since 1857, La Perla has been a part of the collection at the Museo del Prado in Spain.
What Does the Painting Show?
The painting shows the Madonna and Child, which means the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. Also in the painting are John the Baptist as a child, Saint Anne, and in the background, St Joseph.
Other Versions of La Perla
Recently, a part of another version of this painting was discovered. It is in the Galleria Estense in Modena, Italy, and is known as the Perla di Modena.
See also
- List of paintings by Raphael
In Spanish: La Perla (Rafael) para niños
