He was a careful planner
The Mond Cruci xion is one of Raphael’s earliest works, an altarpiece commissioned by wool merchant and banker Domenico Gavari for his burial chapel in Città di Castello, Umbria. It gives a fascinating insight into how Raphael planned his work. Although no geometric grid – one of his favoured ways of plotting a composition – is evident, the clear symmetry and sense of careful order across the panel speak to a similar formula. He almost certainly created thorough and meticulous drawings ahead of painting this piece – why else are there no alterations or adjustments to the work? Compasses have been used to denote both the sun and the moon, which only adds to the sense of painstaking attention to detail and that the painting was the last step in a deeply considered plan.