Intesa Sanpaolo welcomes Raphael’s “Young Woman with Unicorn” in Naples
26 March 2025
Intesa Sanpaolo will be displaying Raffaello Sanzio's Young Woman with Unicorn at its Gallerie d'Italia museum in Naples, as part of the “Ospite illustre” (Illustrious Guest) exhibition.
The painting comes from Galleria Borghese in Rome and will be on show in the room normally dedicated to Caravaggio's Martyrdom of St. Ursula, which is on display at the same time in Rome as part of the Caravaggio 2025 exhibition.
The exhibition will therefore give the people of Naples the chance to admire an early work by Raphael Sanzio, one which, over the years, underwent extensive repainting that altered its appearance, also making its attribution complex. In the absence of Caravaggio's final work, the public will instead be able to enjoy another of the finest masterpieces of all time.
Curated and promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo, since 2015 the Illustrious Guest exhibition - now in its sixteenth iteration - has been displaying important works, temporarily loaned from prestigious Italian and international museums, in Intesa Sanpaolo’s Gallerie d’Italia museums and at the skyscraper in Turin.
Young Woman with Unicorn is an oil painting on panel transferred to canvas that can be dated to the beginning of 1505. The modern-day appearance of the work is the result of historic restoration following a period of significant critical analysis beginning in the second half of the 19th century. In fact, until 1936 the figure was depicted as St. Catherine of Alexandria, characterised by the usual attribute of a Saint Catherine Wheel in place of the present-day unicorn; a heavy cloak over her shoulders altered the profile of the figure, covering part of the landscape behind.
The work was reattributed to Raphael by art historian Roberto Longhi in 1927, before the restoration that freed it from subsequent interventions.
Radiography work carried out on the painting showed that before the unicorn, symbol of chastity, Raphael had painted a small dog, symbol of fidelity, quite possibly meaning that the portrait had been painted to celebrate a wedding.
The composition of Young Woman with Unicorn is inspired by that of the Mona Lisa, which is generally believed to have come to the attention of Raphael shortly after his move to Florence at the end of 1504, but which we can assume he had already seen in its embryonic form the year before, during an initial brief stay in the city.
Raphael's portrait, which in terms of style can be dated to the beginning of 1505, is therefore the subject of new comparison with Leonardo's work. Returning to study it ahead of this exhibition has encouraged reflection on the execution sequence of the Mona Lisa itself - today the most viewed painting in the world, of which Raphael was the first and, on several occasions over time, the most attentive viewer.
The painting will be on display from 27 March to 22 June 2025.
Raphael Sanzio, Young Woman with Unicorn (detail), early 1505, oil on panel transferred to canvas (applied on panel), 67 x 56 cm. Rome, Galleria Borghese / photo A. Novelli
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