Virgin with the Veil or Virgin with the Blue Diadem

Story

Although there are no known preparatory drawings by him for it, the composition of this work was almost certainly invented by Raphael, probably in Rome in around 1512. It is similar to the Madonna of Loretto (Musée Condé, Chantilly), featuring the same motif of sleep, presaging the Passion, as does Saint John's cross, and the Virgin lifting the veil. The bright, acid colors and the porcelain-like finish have led the work to be attributed to one of Raphael's pupils, Giovan Francesco Penni, and to be dated to around 1518.
Acquired from the prince de Carignan by Louis XV in 1742, it is the last painting by Raphael or his workshop to enter the French royal collection.