In Naples, a great seaport, the archangel Raphael was considered a special patron of seafarers because of his role in the apocryphal tale of Tobias. There is evidence that this figure of Raphael was once accompanied by that of Tobias. The Book of Tobias in the Apocrypha tells of a beautiful young man, actually Raphael, who offered to travel with Tobias on his first journey away from home to recover a debt owed his poor, aged father. With the angel's care and instruction Tobias met and overcame many hazards.
This figure's graceful beauty and slender proportions link it with the late Renaissance (about 1550—1600) style, in which the unsettling character of mannerist art (c. 1525-50) gave way again to classicizing balance. The technique used to color the angel's tunic, imitating brocade, is called graffito. The wood sculpture is covered with gold leaf and then painted; designs are then incised in the paint to reveal patterns in the gold.
Raphael's upward-pointing hand indicates his divine mission and serves as a reminder of faith in God. His sandals, girdle, and tunic recall Roman military dress, a reference to the archangels' identity as a powerful paladin of Christ. While his stance and backward-flowing drapery can be interpreted as a forward stride, the angel's body is not thrust forward, and the edges of his elaborate robes curl up unexpectedly, creating the sensation that he is surrounded by the "spiritual wind" that indicated special holiness in earlier Christian art. Despite the beauty of this magnificent sculpture, the identity of its creator remains unknown.
