The Vatican Museums have unveiled the final room of the Raphael Rooms in the Apostolic Palace after a decade-long cleaning and restoration. The project revealed that Raphael used a novel mural painting technique, applying oil paint directly to the wall rather than using traditional fresco. Restorers discovered a grid of metal nails embedded in the walls, intended to hold a natural resin surface for the oil paint, confirming earlier reports of this experimental approach. The room, dedicated to the Roman emperor Constantine, was completed by Raphael's students after his death in 1520.
This restoration is significant because it rewrites a part of art history, as Vatican Museums director Barbara Jatta stated. The discovery of Raphael's direct oil-on-wall technique, unprecedented for the time, challenges long-held assumptions about Renaissance mural methods. It provides new technical and historical insights into the working practices of one of the most influential artists of the period, and underscores the importance of conservation in uncovering hidden artistic innovations.