Rare Raphael Art For Auction

The BBC reports that a Raphael - one of the few to remain in private hands is expected to fetch £15m when it is sold in London later this summer. The portrait, of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici, has not been seen in public for 40 years - but will be displayed at Christie's from 30 June. The art auctioneer describes the work as the most important Renaissance portrait to be sold at auction for a generation. In 2004, the National Gallery raised £22m to stop Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks leaving the UK. The Italian painter started as a competent master of provincial church decoration and became one of the greatest painters of his era. When the portrait of Lorenzo de'Medici was last sold in 1968, there was debate over its origins. However, major art scholars now agree it is a genuine Raphael. The portrait was commissioned by Pope Leo X after he arranged a marriage between his nephew, Lorenzo de'Medici, and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, a cousin of Francois I, King of France. The couple had never met, and so Raphael's paintings were to serve as an introduction - in a Renaissance version of the blind date. The sale will be held at Christie's in London on 5 July. (For full source and article click the Headline). Irish Art