on the edge of the robe of the kneeling Madonna, there can be no
question that it was only designed by Raphael, the execution being
wholly or in great part carried out by the master’s best pupil, Giulio
Romano. In the _Sistine Madonna_ and such works as Raphael painted
at this period entirely with his own hand we see that his technique
had become masterly and his powers of composition had developed to the
utmost. Compared with _La Belle Jardinière_ of a decade earlier, a
greater knowledge of craftsmanship has been accompanied by a loss of
purity and simplicity.
[Illustration:
PLATE VII.—RAPHAEL
(1483-1520)