Angel (fragment of the Baronci altarpiece)

Raphael completed this angel fragment around 1500-1501 as part of the Baronci Altarpiece, his first independent commission. The original altarpiece depicted the Coronation of St. Nicholas of Tolentino and was made for the Church of Sant'Agostino in Città di Castello. An earthquake in 1789 severely damaged the work, and it was cut into fragments that dispersed to various collections.

This angel head shows Raphael's early style, still influenced by his teacher Perugino but already displaying the grace that would distinguish his mature work. The young artist was only seventeen or eighteen when he received this commission, notable for someone just beginning his career.

The fragment now resides at the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia, Italy. Other surviving fragments are at the Louvre and Naples. Despite its fragmentary state, this piece provides crucial evidence of Raphael's earliest independent achievements.