French collectors made a very nice transaction by purchasing a painting online from a London gallery. For the modest sum of 35,000 euros, they thought they would acquire a representation of Mary Magdalene from the school of Leonardo da Vinci, informs The Parisian on October 21, 2023. “When I first saw her photo via the Internet, this Saint Mary Magdalene immediately caught my attention”, testifies one of the collectors anonymously. However, experts responsible for authenticating the work, including specialist Annalisa Di Maria, delivered their verdict in September. And they are formal: it is indeed a true masterpiece by one of the greatest masters of the Renaissance, Raphael. The painting dates from around 1505, a time which marks the painter’s meeting with his illustrious contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci. These are the conclusions of arts experts, published by the specialized magazine ISTE, Open Science, Arts and Sciences. A painting of considerable value, which would be estimated at several million euros.
The painting had been “considered lost”
These are advanced techniques, such as “visualization using infrared light of the layers of carbon hidden by paint pigments”which made it possible to authenticate the pictorial work, reports The Parisian. The table measuring 46×33 centimeters is “of great mastery and incredible finesse of execution which, added to the scientific elements, attest that the portrait really comes from this genius”underlines Annalisa Di Maria, expert at Unesco. “Considered lost”it was the archives of the Italian city of Florence which revealed the prestigious provenance of the painting. Before being bought by French collectors, “It belonged to a private collection in the north of England and ended up in a small auctionwhere the London gallery acquired it thinking that it was a painting from the school of Leonardo da Vinci., reveals Nathalie Popis, another specialist in Renaissance art. In 2017, in New York, another work from this period, the Salvator Mundiconsidered as “the male double of the Mona Lisa”, had been sold for $450 million at auction, after being authenticated as the work of Leonardo da Vinci. It was purchased for $2,000 in November 2005 by an American art dealer.