AFTER RAFFAELLO SANZIO, CALLED RAPHAEL | Portrait of Bindo Altoviti

inscribed extensively, upper right oil on panel, unframed This is a 19th-century copy after the portrait of Bindo Altoviti by the High Renaissance master, Raphael, which now hangs in the National Gallery of Art, Washington.1 The original painting was executed in Rome in 'circa' 1515, and remained in the possession of the sitter’s descendants until 1808. Bindo Altoviti was a wealthy banker born in Rome in 1491, and was patron to artists including Michelangelo and Vasari, as well as Raphael. This portrait is unusual in the employment of heavy contrasts between light and shadow, and the rather effeminate pose and expression of the sitter. It reflects the influence of Leonardo da Vinci’s work, which Raphael studied particularly in the latter part of his career spent in Rome. 1 https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.12131.html

William Mills Esq.;
Thence by descent to the present owner.

All paintings available to view at the Sotheby’s Greenford Park warehouse, 5 - 7 and 10 – 13 September (10 - 4pm), by appointment. The panel is uncradled, flat and stable. The paint surface is quite dirty and the varnish is very darkened. There are areas of paint loss along the central side of the right-hand margin and the upper side of the left-hand margin and corner, as well as in the two lower corners. There is a visible vertical split, which runs down the centre of the panel with associated retouching. There is also a vertical surface scratch, lower right, measuring 15 cm., and a rectangular restoration, upper left, measuring 1 x 7 cm. There are visible spot retouchings in his shoulder and in the bottom of his hair on the left-hand side, as well as in his left eye. The network of craquelure is quite pronounced in the flesh tones, particularly in the sitter's cheekbone. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a thick varnish, underneath which retouchings are visible in the aforementioned areas, as well as further spots above and to the left of the figure's head, but it is difficult to discern any additional intervention.
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