The miracle of St. Eusebius of Cremona, Rafaël

Painted for the chapel founded by Domenico Gavari in the Church of Santo Domenico, in Città di Castello (Umbria, Italy), this work illustrates a miracle of St. Eusebius, the bringing back to life of three young men, in keeping with a literary source that became very popular in Italy in the 15th century. Two other paintings from the same altarpiece have also survived and are housed at the National Gallery (London) and the North Carolina Museum of Art (USA).

The narrative subtlety of the three resuscitated figures, depicting different moments in their return to life – ranging from the still prostrate body on the right to the young man on the left who is already seen in prayer – reveals Raphael’s remarkable capacity for invention.

Raphael was an Italian artist from the High Renaissance.
Raphael is the name by which he is now known worldwide. His real name was Raffaello Sanzio. He is also known under names like Raffaello Santi and Raffaello da Urbino. As with many artists from the Italian Renaissance, his life is described in the famous book Le Vite by the 16th century painter and writer Giorgio Vasari.