The Life and Identity of Raphael Raphael, known to history by several names including Raffaello Sanzio, Raffaello Santi, and Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, was a central figure of the Italian High Renaissance. His life was defined by a dual mastery of painting and architecture, a versatility that allowed him to move seamlessly between the intimate scale of a portrait and the monumental demands of papal construction. He was born in Urbino, Italy, on April 6, 1483, into a world of intellectual and artistic activity. His career was marked by an immense productivity that required the management of…