Issued as part of Spain's ongoing commemorative series honoring figures from its artistic heritage, this piece marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael — though the painter died in Rome in 1520, not in Spain, and had no direct connection to the Spanish crown beyond the considerable influence his work exerted on Spanish court painters in the following century. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid holds one of Europe's significant Raphael collections, which likely anchored the justification for Spanish issuance.
Issued as part of Spain's ongoing commemorative series honoring figures from its artistic heritage, this piece marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael — though the painter died in Rome in 1520, not in Spain, and had no direct connection to the Spanish crown beyond the considerable influence his work exerted on Spanish court painters in the following century. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid holds one of Europe's significant Raphael collections, which likely anchored the justification for Spanish issuance.