9 GIULIO ROMANO (Giulio Pippi) Italian, before 1499­1546 The Holy Family, circa 1520­23 Oil (possibly mixed with tempera) on panel 77.8 x 61.9 cm (30 x 24 in.) 95.PB.64 Giulio Romano was Raphael's most important protege. Upon Raphael's death in 1520, Giulio assumed leadership of his master's Roman shop, a position he maintained until 1524 when he left his native city to become court painter to the Duke of Mantua. Because the artists collaborated so closely, the distinction between Raphael's and Giulio's hands remains hotly debated. However, this Holy Family is replete with mannerisms that can be securely connected with Giulio's later independent works, particularly the metallic palette, heavy physiognomies, and a preoccupation with surface ornamentation. In this panel Giulio elaborates upon the familiar subject of the Holy Family. The arrival of the woman with the doves of purification identifies this scene as the moment when the infant Christ and Saint John the Baptist first meet. Both Joseph and Mary look protectively down on the two precocious readers, forming a cleverly orchestrated interlocking group. Giulio typically includes lively details, such as the dog dashing out of a doorway at the left and the beautifully realized all'antica landscape at the right. The panel probably dates from the period between Raphael's last work, The Transfiguration (1520), and Giulio's Martyrdom of Saint Stephen (1523). It shows Giulio working as Raphael's heir, continuing the same stylistic idiom and yet allowing his own design preferences to become more apparent. DJ 24 ITALIAN SCHOOL