The exhibition will be on display from the 9th November until the 16th February.
Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John (The ‘Taddei Tondo’), c. 1504-05. Marble, 106.8 x 106.8 cm. Royal Academy of Arts, London. Bequeathed by Sir George Beaumont, 1830. Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited
On the 25th January 1504, Florence’s most prominent artists gathered to advise on an appropriate location for Michelangelo’s nearly finished David – including Leonardo da Vinci , who – like Michelangelo – had only recently returned to his native Florence.
This new exhibition will explore the rivalry between Michelangelo and Leonardo, and the influence both had on the young Raphael. It will feature over 40 works, including Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo, Leonardo’s Burlington House Cartoon and Raphael’s Bridgewater Madonna.
It will open with Michelangelo’s only marble sculpture in the UK, his celebrated Taddei
Tondo, c. 1504-05 (Royal Academy of Arts, London), which will be shown together with its related preparatory drawings. The relief made an impact on n Raphael, as can be seen most notably in the Bridgewater Madonna, c. 1507-08 (Bridgewater Collection Loan, National Galleries of Scotland), and the Esterházy Madonna, c. 1508 (Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest), both of which will be displayed nearby.
Meanwhile, the central gallery will be devoted to Leonardo’s Burlington House Cartoon, c. 1506-08 (The National Gallery, London), which will return to the Royal Academy for the first time in over 60 years. The exhibition will present new research regarding the original context of the cartoon.
The display will conclude with a room devoted to the drawings showcasing the encounter between Leonardo and Michelangelo. It will bring together Leonardo and Michelangelo’s much-admired preparatory drawings from various collections across Europe as well as a drawing by Raphael, c. 1505-06 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford), in which he copies the central scene of Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari.
The exhibition is organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in partnership with Royal Collection Trust and the National Gallery, London.
To book tickets visit: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/michelangelo-leonardo-raphael