Laura Gascoigne

Raphael – saint or hustler?

You can't argue with his genius but the verdict on the Renaissance master's character remains open – Laura Gascoigne dishes the dirt

‘Study for the Head of an Apostle in the Transfiguration’ by Raphael. Credit: © Private Collection 
issue 02 April 2022

For tourists to Rome, the must-see event of 1833 was the exhumation of Raphael from his tomb in the Pantheon. For years the city’s Accademia di San Luca had been claiming possession of the artist’s skull and running a profitable line in souvenirs. That September, the question would be settled.

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