Artwork

Archangel Raphael with Tobias, St. Laurentius and the donor Leonardo di Lorenzo Morelli

Archangel Raphael with Tobias, St. Laurentius and the donor Leonardo di Lorenzo Morelli is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Andrea del Sarto. It dates from 1512 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1512 by the Florentine painter Andrea del Sarto, this oil on canvas presents a small devotional group set within a gentle landscape. The composition brings together an archangel, a youthful companion, a martyr saint, and the patron who commissioned the work. The figures stand before rolling hills under a clear sky, their garments rendered in saturated reds, blues and greens.

Subject & Meaning

The kneeling donor, Leonardo di Lorenzo Morelli, looks upward, integrating his piety into the sacred scene.

At the centre, the Archangel Raphael is identifiable by his expansive wings and green mantle, guiding the boy Tobias who clutches a fish, a traditional symbol of the biblical healing narrative. To the left, St. Lawrence appears in red and green attire, holding a staff that alludes to his martyrdom. The kneeling donor, Leonardo di Lorenzo Morelli, looks upward, integrating his piety into the sacred scene.

Technique & Style

Del Sarto employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, contrasting illuminated flesh tones with deeper shadows to model the figures three‑dimensionally. The painter’s handling of oil allows for smooth transitions in the drapery, while the landscape background is treated with a softer, atmospheric palette that recedes behind the foreground group.

History & Provenance

The work was originally intended for private devotion by its patron, Leonardo di Lorenzo Morelli, a member of a prominent Florentine family. Over the centuries it entered the collection of the Uffizi Gallery, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s early‑sixteenth‑century holdings, illustrating del Sarto’s mature style before his later court commissions.