Dating from the late 15th to early 16th centuries, approximately between 1499 and 1502, the Standard of the Holy Trinity housed in the Pinacoteca Comunale in Città di Castello (Perugia) has frequently been recognized as the sole artistic début of the prodigious Raphael. This distinction has now been reaffirmed by Carmen C. Bambach, Curator of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in connection with the exhibition "Raphael, Sublime Poetry", scheduled to run from March 23 to June 28, 2026, at the New York institution, which will feature more than two hundred works on display. The scholar has recently visited the headquarters of the Central Institute for Restoration in Rome, where the conservation work is being diligently carried out. “In the exhibition it will be presented as the first fully autographed painting by the artist. Thanks also to this restoration, we are deepening research on the Banner, particularly in relation to the plague,” Bambach said. "The Baronci Altarpiece, regarded as Raphael's inaugural work, was a collaboration with Evangelista da Meleto; in contrast, the Banner was created solely by Raphael on both sides. Thanks to the restoration, a new, more nuanced equilibrium will be established between the paint layer and the linen canvas support". The scholar concluded that the Banner “will be seen by the American public also in relation to Città di Castello as the place where Raphael emerges as a professional artist".