Raphael's Lorenzo de' Medici

Hot on the heels of a stupendous month of sales, Christie's recently announced that one of the last privately held Raphael paintings on earth will be up at auction in its July 5, 2007 Important Old Master and British Pictures sale at London, King Street. I made an excited (if unintelligible) noise like "Squeeeeeeeee!" and hopped a bit upon seeing this news, then immediately got on the phone with Stan Parchin (who was just as excited, but retained his command of English). After speaking briefly, I was off to request an image, while Stan got busy pulling reference books off of his shelves.

We aren't crazy, honestly. This Raphael hasn't been seen in public for 40 years and, for heaven's sake, it's a Raphael! A Raphael with an *incredibly* juicy plot behind it, the type of plot that soap opera writers only dream of. Stan will fill you in on the details with his facts, dates and meticulous research. Enjoy the special report on Raphael's Lorenzo de' Medici.

Image credit:

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)
(Italian, Marchigian, 1483-1520)
Lorenzo de' Medici, 1518
Oil on canvas
38 x 31 in. (97 x 79 cm)
© Christie's Images Ltd. 2007