This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
For centuries, the death of Raphael, the renowned Renaissance painter, has been shrouded in mystery. Popular myth had it that he succumbed to syphilis in 1520 after a life of indulgence, but experts widely agree that he died of an infection. The truth, however, is far more nuanced.
According to medical historian Michele Augusto Riva, Raphael's death was likely caused by pneumonia, which he contracted during a bout of 'frequent night outings in the cold' to visit his lovers. Riva, who co-authored the study with three fellow researchers from the University of Milano Bicocca, explained that the doctors of the time were aware of the dangers of bloodletting in the treatment of infectious diseases, but were acting on misinformation.
"A medical mistake, and his own mistake in not faithfully recounting his history, contributed to Raphael's death," Riva said. The study, published in the Internal and Emergency Medicine journal, reveals that Raphael's disease lasted 15 days, during which he was composed enough to put his affairs in order, confess his sins, and receive the last rites.
Contemporary accounts of his death reveal that Raphael's disease was an acute manifestation of a pulmonary illness, characterized by high and continuous fever. The study notes that a recent sexually transmitted infection, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, could not explain the incubation period, and that an acute manifestation of viral hepatitis could not be considered without jaundice and other signs of liver failure.
Despite his premature death, Raphael produced a vast oeuvre of seminal work, much of it at the Vatican, whose museums include several rooms filled with his frescoes. Completed by Raphael's students after his death, they remain some of the Vatican's most popular rooms.
Published on July 18, 2020, the study sheds new light on the mysterious death of one of the Renaissance's greatest artists.
