- Undated photo supplied by Sotheby's …
LONDON (AP) -- One of the most significant drawings by Italian master Raphael in private hands sold for 29.7 million pounds ($47.8 million) in London Wednesday, smashing pre-sale estimates for the black chalk work.
"Head of an Apostle" was expected to fetch between 10 million pounds and 15 million pounds, and Sotheby's auction house said the sale set a record for any work on paper sold at auction. Sotheby's said the winning bid was placed over the phone following an intense battle among four bidders.
"Head of an Apostle" was created in preparation for Raphael's Biblical painting "The Transfiguration," which hangs in the Vatican Museum in Rome.
"If you are lucky, at some point in your career a work like this comes along," said Gregory Rubinstein, worldwide head of Old Master drawings at Sotheby's.
He called Raphael — who died in 1520 — a genius.
The piece had been part of a collection at the Duke of Devonshire's Chatsworth House home in Derbyshire since the 1700s.
Wow, what an astounding sale! The news of Raphael's drawing, "Head of an Apostle," fetching a staggering $47.8 million at auction is truly mind-blowing. It's incredible to see the appreciation for such a significant work of art this is also provides me a great university assignment help uk, and the fact that it exceeded its pre-sale estimates by nearly three times is a testament to its value and importance.
ReplyDeleteRaphael's mastery as an Italian artist is undeniable, and "Head of an Apostle" holds a special place in art history as it was created in preparation for the renowned painting "The Transfiguration" at the Vatican Museum in Rome. To think that this drawing was part of the Duke of Devonshire's Chatsworth House collection since the 1700s adds an even more fascinating dimension to its provenance.