In the article, A. V. Morozova studied the underexamined problem of the early stage of the understanding of Spanish painting in Europe and Russia, associated with the era of Romanticism. For Romantics, especially German and Russian, the art of Rafael and, above all, his “Madonnas” were the ideals of beauty and poetry. V.-G. Wackenroder, V. A. Zhukovsky, V. P. Kukhelbeker, S. P. Shevyrev and other authors of the Romantic era left admiring descriptions of Rafael's “Madonnas” and most of all - his “Sixtine Madonna”. In these descriptions, they emphasized the “miraculous”, “incomprehensible”, “highly spiritual” image inspired in the artist, in their opinion, by the divine Providence. However, as the society was being acquainted with Spanish painting, the vector of the interest shifted from Raphael to Murillo, in whom Romantics saw “Spanish Rafael”. The term “Spanish Rafael” indicated that the system of values had already begun changing, but the value scale had remained the same. It was the interest in Murillo, which fostered admiration for Spanish painting. In “Spanish Rafael” Romantics found even greater tenderness, mystery, and poetry. A. V. Morozova used the method of analysis of literary works of the first half of the 19th century, which helped the researcher to trace the change in preferences in the minds of the European and Russian audience.