His mother died on October 7, 1491 and his father on August 1, 1494. Raphael, then aged 11, found himself orphaned. In 1500, at the age of seventeen, his uncles sent him to Perugia in Umbria, where he apprenticed with Pietro Vannucci, known as the Perugino, a religious painter specializing in Madonnas.
Shortly after 1500, Raphael signed a contract of Magister – Head of workshop. Thanks to his many students and assistants, he will be able to realize simultaneously often impressive works.
In 1504, Raphael stayed in Florence. There he meets Leonard de Vinci who teaches him the sfumato technique – vaporous effect blurring the contours – and whose most famous example is The Mona Lisa, painted by Da Vinci from 1503 onwards.