From scandal to obscurity - a Raphael case study

Famous names and distinguished provenances grow on portraits as casually as barnacles on a boat's bottom, and they are rightly regarded with suspicion.

John Shearman

A complete account of Raphael's catalogue of paintings will also examine lesser known pieces that have been linked to him or his studio. Often these works are in private collections, hidden from view and generally known only to specialists. Occasionally such works enter public view, as part of an exhibition or sale. The following case encompasses each of these states. Portrait of a Young Woman was once in a private collection in Genoa, until its alleged acquisition by an Italian art dealer in 1947. In 1969, it was purchased as a Raphael by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, destined to become the jewel of its collection, and coinciding with the museum's centennial celebrations.  The events around the painting's acquisition and the international scandal it caused have not been reported at any length in a publicly accessible online forum. The following post aims to outline the particulars of the painting's attribution and its controversial recent history.

Color in Islamic art and culture

Review by Sedef Piker

Islamic art and culture is often perceived as an enigmatic phenomenon to outsiders, and perennially described as a new frontier for Western intellectuals.  And Diverse are Their Hues: Color in Islamic Art and Culture was published by Yale University Press in October 2011. It is a collection of research papers focusing on the role of color in Islamic art and culture, presented by twelve distinguished scholars for the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium, held in Cordoba (Spain) in 2009.  Drs. Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, the Hamad bin Khalifa Chairs of Islamic Art in Virginia Commonwealth University are the editors and the authors of the introduction to this impressive undertaking. 

To my great delight, this volume took my existing knowledge into new realms, encompassing a wide range of fascinating subjects. From the aesthetics of color in Islamic architecture, gardens and  manuscripts, to the role of color in spiritualism and the quest for power and political legitimacy. These explorations also extended to include cross-cultural comparisons present in colonial Latin America.

The enigma of authenticity - Raphael's Lady with a Unicorn

When studying Raphael's catalogue of paintings, what quickly becomes apparent is the general discord between scholars over a significant number of pieces. The following case study presents an example of a work that is traditionally ascribed to Raphael - the grounds of which seem based on a history of critical speculation rather than any conclusive historical, stylistic or technical evidence. The aim of this post is to highlight questions that must be asked when reviewing a statement confidently linking a work to an artist. The review guidelines in this instance will be the same as outlined in previous examples.