'Head Of A Young Apostle' By Raphael To Sell For £15m At Auction

Which Artist's Sketch Is Set To Sell For £15m?
|

A drawing by Italian painter Raphael estimated to be worth up to £15 million is to be sold at auction.

The Duke of Devonshire is selling the black chalk drawing, called Head Of A Young Apostle, which is currently part of a collection at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.

It is estimated to be worth between £10 million and £15 million and has been hung in the stately home since the 1700s.

Open Image Modal

Head Of A Young Apostle

The work, known as an auxiliary cartoon, was a preparation drawing for a figure in Raphael's Transfiguration.

Transfiguration, which can be seen in the Vatican Museum in Rome, is considered to be one of the most important Renaissance paintings.

Speaking of the sale, the Duke of Devonshire said: "We are very fortunate that the Devonshire Collection has such extraordinary depth in so many areas. The sale of these works which our family has long cared for will now benefit the long-term future of Chatsworth and its collections."

Raphael's Head Of A Young Apostle will go under the hammer in Sotheby's Evening Sale of Old Master Paintings and Drawings in London on 5 December.

Cristiana Romalli, senior director in the Department of Old Master Drawings, said: "This very moving study is a paramount example of Raphael's draughtsmanship - and shows exactly why he is revered as very possibly the greatest master of drawing who has ever lived.

"The sheer beauty of this work is utterly breath-taking - and the way in which it allows us to join Raphael as he created his last great masterpiece is hugely exciting."

Gregory Rubinstein, worldwide head of Old Master Drawings at Sotheby's, added: "It is one of the greatest privileges of my career to be handling the sale of a drawing of such extraordinary importance - and of such incredible power and beauty too. These rare moments, over the centuries, define the history of the drawings market."

Most Expensive Artworks Ever
10 - Massacre Of The Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens, $76.7m (£49.4m)(01 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Sotheby's in London in July 2002.PHOTO: PA
Bal Du Moulin De La Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, $78.1m (£48.3m)(02 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 1990.PHOTO: Alamy
8. Le Bassin Aux Nympheas by Claude Monet, $80.5m (£49.7m)(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Christie's in London in June 2008.PHOTO: PA
7. Portrait Of Dr Gachet by Vincent van Gogh, $82.5m (£51m)(04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Christie's in New York in May 1990.PHOTO: Wikipainting
6. Triptych, 1976 by Francis Bacon, $86.3m (£53.3m)(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2008.PHOTO: PA
5. Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer II by Gustav Klimt, $87.9m (£54.3m)(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Christie's in New York in November 2006.PHOTO: Wikipaintings
4. Dora Maar Au Chat by Pablo Picasso, $95.2m (£58.8m)(07 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2006.PHOTO: PA
3. Boy With A Pipe (The Young Apprentice) by Pablo Picasso, $104.1 million (£64.3m)(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2004.PHOTO: Wikipaintings
2. Nude, Green Leaves And Bust by Pablo Picasso, $106 million US dollars (£65.4 million) (09 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Christie's in New York in May 2012.PHOTO: Rex
1. The Scream by Edvard Munch, $119.9 million (£74 million) (10 of10)
Open Image Modal
Sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2012.PHOTO: PA