Portrait of Pope Leo X with Cardinals

Working in oil on panel, Raphael painted this portrait of Pope Leo X with two cardinals in 1518-1519. The pope examines an illuminated manuscript with a magnifying glass, his fleshy features rendered with unflinching realism. Cardinals Giulio de' Medici (future Pope Clement VII) and Luigi de' Rossi flank him.

The painting showcases sumptuous reds in the papal garments, velvet textures, and the gleam of gold and brass. Raphael's technical skill captures every surface: the pope's soft hands, the manuscript's gilded pages, the silver bell on the table. Yet the pontiff's expression remains mysterious.

Leo X was a Medici, and this painting returned to Florence with his family. The Uffizi displays it as one of history's greatest papal portraits.