Raphael and workshop (1483–1520)
Portrait of Pope Julius II, 1511 / 12
Oil on poplar panel, 106 by 78.4 cm
Städel Museum buys Raphael’s portrait of Pope Julius II The Städel Museum announced the acquisition of a hitherto unknown version of the portrait of Pope Julius II by Raphael and his workshop.]]>
December 7th 2011, source: Städel Museum
The portrait of Pope Julius II is one of Raphael’s most famous works. Painted in Rome between 1511 and 1512, the work has come down to us in several versions, of which the most famous is in the holdings of the National Gallery in London, and another is in those of the Uffizi in Florence. A third version of the work has been recently attributed to the master and his workshop, and acquired by the Städel Museum.
The German Museum explains that “the work has been comprehensively examined and analyzed by art-historical as well as technological methods, and old retouchings and layers of varnish have been removed”, also noting that the work shows a series of “creative changes carried out in the course of its execution”, which are not found in the versions in London and Florence.
A few months ago, the Städel Museum tried to acquire Hans Holbein the Younger’s “The Madonna With the Family of Mayor Meyer”, but it was finally sold to German billionaire Reinhold Wuerth, who offered more than $70 million for the work.
Related content
Masterwork by Raphael sold at Christie’s London (news, 2007)
From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome – National Gallery of Canada (exhibition, 2009)
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