I did this a couple of years ago. It’s a copy of a small panel painting by Raphael (6.7 × 6.7 inches) at the original size. Wikipedia says this about it (the original, of course):

The Vision of a Knight or The Dream of Scipio or Allegory is a small egg tempera painting on poplar by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, finished in 1504. It is in the National Gallery in London. It probably formed a pair with the Three Graces panel, also 17 cm square, now in the Chateau de Chantilly museum.

The theme is controversial. Some authorities intend the sleeping knight to represent the Roman general Scipio Africanus (236-184 BC) who was dreaming to choose between Virtue (behind whom is a steep and rocky path) and Pleasure (in looser robes). However, the two feminine figures are not presented as contestants. They may represent the ideal attributes of the knight: the book, sword and flower which they hold suggest the ideals of scholar, soldier and lover which a knight should combine.

I did it in egg tempera with oil glazes. More recent analysis by the National Gallery indicates that the original was actually an oil painting. Although it is by no means a perfect copy, I am mostly satisfied, as I think I managed to capture some portion of the sweetness of Raphael’s early work.

1. This needs to be done in a well-ventilated room.
2. Cut the panel to size. Sand the edges down so that they are smooth and slightly rounded (chamfered).
3. Clean the surface of the panel thoroughly with denatured alcohol. Give it a few minutes to evaporate away.
4. Apply a layer of primer with a knife. I use a plastic palette knife. You can also use one of those wide plastic house painting knives, but I find the sharp corners leave grooves. You could also use a brush, but it would be slow work. If the primer is too thick to spread easily, you can thin it slightly with solvent. Apply the primer quite thinly.
5. Take a soft fan brush and wet it with solvent. Lightly feather it over the primed surface, smoothing out all of the bumps and grooves. When the brush picks up primer, wipe it with a cloth, wet it again, and continue until you’ve smoothed the entire surface.
6. Let the panel dry leaning face-in against a wall. This will help keep dust from falling on it. Allow about 4-5 days to dry.
7. Repeat with a second layer.
8. Allow at least a month, preferably several months, to cure. It’s best to do several panels at a time, several times a year, so that you always have a couple of panels in preferred sizes ready to go.

Oil primed surfaces are very pleasant to work on, although it takes time to get used to how smooth and non-absorbent they are.

N.B. This is a hard one to photograph. Despite lots of fiddling, the values are wrong and the colors are slightly off. Oh, well. I kind of like it.

Feel free to add comments or constructive feedback.

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