‘Madonna and Child’ is by Raphael, expert suggests

Associate of Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (1483–1520), ‘Madonna and Child,’ oil on panel, 56.5 x 41.5 cm. Estimate €300,000-€400,000. Image courtesy of Dorotheum

VIENNA – A leading art historian has suggested that a Madonna and Child painting up for auction Tuesday, Oct. 22, is the work of Raphael and associates.

In the latest twist of a scholarly debate, Claudio Strinati, a former director of the Roman Museums, has endorsed an attribution to Raphael and associates for a previously unknown painting from a ducal collection, a Madonna and Child.

Strinati has suggested that the Madonna and Child to be offered at auction is the work of Raphael and associates. He argues that this painting is the work described by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, published in 1550, as being initiated by Raphael and completed by Ridolfo del Ghirlandio.

Strinati, who has published several books including a monograph on Raphael in 2016, has suggested that this painting should be catalogued as: Raffaelo Sanzio, called Raphael (Florence ?1483-1520 Rome), Ridolfo del Ghirlandio (Florence ?1483-1561), and Bastiano da Sangallo, called Aristotile (Florence ?1481-1551).

The painting will be offered for sale at Dorotheum in Vienna on Tuesday.

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