Jean Paul Étienne Balze: A Rediscovery of Raphael’s Legacy Jean Paul Étienne Balze (1815 – 1884) stands as a pivotal figure in the revival of Raphael scholarship during the mid-nineteenth century, largely thanks to his meticulous reproductions of Michelangelo Buonarroti's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and, more notably, his extraordinary series of copies after Raphael’s frescoes in the Vatican Loggias. While overshadowed by contemporaries like Ingres and Millet, Balze’s dedication to preserving and disseminating Raphael’s artistic vision cemented his place within French art history. Born i…