A painting which had lain abandoned in the storerooms of the Este Ducal Palace in Sassuolo [Emilia Romagna] is now thought to be Raphael’s original “Madonna of the Pearl”, ANSA reports.
The discovery was made by Siena Arts Superintendent Mario Scalini, who is temporarily working on creating a gallery in the Palace and on the Galleria Estense in Modena [Emilia-Romagna].
Mr Scalini was alerted to the painting’s importance by its magnificent frame, which is of a type that would only have been used for a painting by a Master. He called in one of Italy’s top art restorers, Lisa Venerosi Pesciolini, who submitted the painting to laboratory tests in Florence. After layers of overpainting were removed, she agreed that the painting is probably by Raphael. It is likely that it was finished by Raphael’s pupil Giulio Romano after the Master’s death in 1520.
The painting would have been the model for the “Madonna of the Pearl” by Giulio Romano which is now in the Prado [Madrid]. This painting was attributed to Raphael by Vasari but, although the Master could have begun it, it is generally believed to be mainly the work of Romano.
The new find will be eventually go on display in Siena [Tuscany].
In the following video - Raphael's works:
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